


Pinned Down

by Evilsforreals



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Content warning: some domestic violence, F/F, First Meetings, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:07:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28930752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evilsforreals/pseuds/Evilsforreals
Summary: Sugawara feels stifled by the monotonous rhythm of his current day-to-day, and craves spontaneity.Tanaka feels trapped by a web of obligations pulling him in every direction except  towards his goals.All it takes is one fateful night, to set off a chain reaction that will change both men for better or for worse.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Sawamura Daichi, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu, Kozume Kenma/Yamamoto Taketora, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sugawara Koushi/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 16
Kudos: 18





	1. Day By Day

_ When did this become my life? _

Sugawara wearily stretched his arms as he gazed around the office, his eyes glazing over in their sockets. It was a nightmare of mediocrity; dull beige walls, a looming pile of resumes and cover letters leaning precariously on the edge of his desk, and row after row of the same cramped soul-crushing cubicle. It was a bit maddening, listening to the muted taps of keyboards, the soft hum of fluorescent lighting, and more recently, the loud crunching of his officemate digging into a fresh bag of chips.

“Daichi didn’t you just have lunch?”

“And?” Daichi grinned cheekily, said cheeks bulging with chip crumbs.

Sugawara let out an exasperated groan, swiping a tuft of blonde-white hair out of his face. “But did you have to choose the garlic flavor of all things? My clothes are gonna reek of it!”

Daichi shrugged in mock sympathy. “I’m so sorry your royal highness, I didn’t realize you had plans tonight other than watching your dramas alone at home with a bottle of wine.”

Sugawara gave a dry bark of laughter, further enunciated with a deft punch to Daichi’s ribs who doubled over, choking on his chips.

“As always Daichi, you’re 100% correct and you 100% deserved that,” Sugawara responded with a hollow laugh that didn't reach his striking hazel eyes.

Daichi still managed a weak grin through a wince of pain; Suga was known throughout the office for being able to take a joke, but his propensity to reciprocate with punches as a response always left a bruise. Once, Ennoshita, the company analyst, had been literally knocked off his feet after playing a practical joke on him in the breakroom.

Despite a 70% chance of a bruised rib, Daichi persisted. “Listen, I’m going to risk another attack from you but so be it; you....how do I say it, you don't really seem yourself. Maybe you're overwhelmed by something? More than just with regular work, because you’re always on top of that. What’s bugging you man?”

Daichi flinched ever so slightly as Suga stared at him stone-faced. Finally, he relented and sighed deeply, sinking back into his chair and throwing a hand over his face dramatically. “I think...I’m having a midlife crisis.”

“............Suga, You’re LITERALLY 26.”

Suga raised a finger and waggled it at his friend admonishingly. “Don’t act like you know the future; maybe 52 is my lot in life, so be kind to this frail soul who’s not long for this world.”

Daichi couldn’t help but chuckle in bemusement. Sugawara was funny like that; most people had a perception that he was your typical dutiful, polite, and respectful worker at first glance, but really he was one of the most chaotic people he had ever met.

He mockingly patted Suga’s shoulder. “All right then grandpa, so we’re on the clock; 26 years to finish your bucket list before passing on into the great beyond. That’s more than enough time to do just about anything and everything you could possibly think about! I keep telling ya, you need to get out more and start trying new things.”

“I know, I know,” Suga relented, stretching his arms over his head and pouting at the window. “It’s just hard, you know? Full-time job with a commute? I’m practically asleep by the time I get home. But still gotta clean, cook, do some chores and then bed again, to repeat the process all over again.”

Daichi nodded sympathetically. “What’s your current commute right now?”

“Hour and a half on a good day.”

Daichi whistled a low somber note. “Shit, I didn’t even realize it was that much. That would start getting to me too. Have you put any more thought into moving out of the suburbs?”

Suga nodded glumly. “Yeah of course, but the market’s pretty swamped right now. There’s been a 3-week waiting period in most apartment complexes for the past 8 months. And I know it’d be cheaper to have a roommate, but I like my privacy a little too much.”

Daichi furrowed his brow in concentration. “Yeah….I totally get where you’re coming from. Well in the meantime, I can check if there’s any opening in the complex I’m renting at currently. And I can ask Asahi if he has any leads at work if you’d like.”

“Oh yes, I’d appreciate it if you put in a word to your pro-realtor fiancé between smooches, thank you!” Suga responded with a sly wink.

Daichi’s face slightly flushed at the mention of his fiancé, but he still served it right back with another cheeky grin. “Yeah…. it might take a while to get the message through to him since  **all** we ever do is make out according to you; so please be patient with me!”

Suga burst into chuckles, and Daichi followed suit as they did their best to muffle their glee from the rest of the dead-eyed employees surrounding them. “I appreciate the sacrifice you make wasting 15 seconds of potential kissing at home tonight for a sweet waif like myself.”

Daichi nodded his head sagely at Suga’s remark. “As painfully accurate as you usually are, we won’t be at home tonight. We’re actually going to a music concert a couple blocks down….you know you’re more than welcome to join, right?”

Suga shook his head apologetically. “Tempting, but I’ll pass tonight. Got a notification this morning that the subway is doing some maintenance tonight so if I don’t go at my usual time I’ll get stuck in the city all night.”

“You’re more than welcome to stay at-”

“-And while I  **greatly** appreciate the offer,” Suga interrupted with a cold smile, “the last time I stayed over, you tripped on my face on the way to make coffee.”

  
  
  


________

Several candidate interviews, two unnecessary meetings, and an onboarding session that could’ve been an email later, 5:30 finally arrived. Suga promptly waved goodbye to Daichi, nodded at Ennoshita as he passed, and sprint-walked his way to the elevator. 

He couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed as he walked past a line of large windows; he could see the sun already halfway set, casting a deep yellow glow over the beautiful city. It was a gorgeous site; every building bathed in gold, as the sky began to darken above. But Suga couldn’t help but feel cheated in some way; beginning work before the sun had risen, and leaving right as it set.

_Daichi’s right,_ he thought grumpily as he entered the suffocating elevator and tapped the cracked lobby button. As the elevator began its laborious journey downwards, Suga found his thoughts drifting back to highschool. He, Daichi, and Asahi had all been together throughout those years; getting into mischief, playing volleyball, and had never been afraid of trying new things. Each day had seemed to be a full set of brand new experiences for them. Suga smiled fondly, reminiscing on the day that Daichi had asked his help in asking out Asahi right after they had won nationals. And just three years later while in university, he found himself helping Asahi plan out his proposal to Daichi in turn.

Unfortunately, Suga’s priorities had been pushed into overdrive once starting university. With his father suddenly needing several necessary medical procedures, Suga had felt an overwhelming obligation to focus on his studies so that he would be able to support the family while his father recovered. 

He had dutifully kept his head down and focused solely on his studies. He rarely ever went out to parties or clubs. Daichi and Asahi had been the only ones capable of prying him away from the library, and they were still hard-pressed to ever convince him.

It had paid off, of course; Sugawara graduated with several internships worth of experience and straight A’s, and within weeks he had landed a comfortable position in a hybrid HR/Recruitment role at a corporate firm. His father had made a strong recovery, and everything had worked out. 

But now five years had blown by, and now here he was. Living the corporate 8-5 with benefits, retirement, and all the other bells and whistles. And next to him was one of his life-long friends that HAD gone out and HAD partied, and was now sitting across from his cubicle. A friend, a competent business associate, and a valued peer, nonchalantly munching away on garlic chips.

_ Ugh. _

Suga shook his head, frowning. He wasn’t resentful of Daichi of course. These were the results of his own choices, and they had been made to help protect the well-being and health of his family. From time to time, he just found himself frustrated with...himself. If he had known that he could have let loose a little more when he had the time, if he had known his father would have recovered fully, then maybe college could have felt more exciting and unbridled… _ well....hindsight is 20/20, they say _ .

A soft bell tolled as the doors opened, breaking Suga out of his stupor. He took a step forward, thinking he had reached the bottom floor only for a swarm of office workers to force their way in, cramming together like sardines. Suga winced as he felt someone stomp heavily on his shoe. The man mumbled an apology and shuffled to the side, and Suga gave a short nod, feigning understanding. 

_ Jerk. _

_ ________ _

The subway ride was thankfully less crowded than the elevator, allowing Suga to wearily collapse into a battered seat that seemed devoid of beer stains. He fumbled briefly in his pocket as he retrieved his earphones to pop in. He always enjoyed using his commute to listen to one of his favorite podcasts;  _ Rolling Around the Globe. _ It was run by one of his old kouhais, Nishinoya Yu; an energetic extrovert that seemed to find fun and excitement around every corner

_ “Hey everybody, Nishinoya here in Curitiba, Brazil and it’s HOT!!!! Gonna level with all you listeners, I did  _ **_not_ ** _ expect the heat to be this intense! Because if you’re new to this channel, I don’t do research, I plan everything impulsively, and as a result I suffer the consequences of my own actions! But I’m here to remedy that at the Praca de Espanha! So far, it seems like the perfect place for a hot day; nice and open, beautiful architecture, relaxing atmosphere, and soooooo many food vendors! So I’ll definitely be trying a ton of different foods and specialties today. Roll along with me and let’s dig in!” _

Suga smiled to himself. Nishinoya had never really changed from his days in high school. Rambunctious and impulsive, he was always the first to suggest a new adventure or locale to visit. And years later, he was still the same fun and impulsive explorer, doing what he loved and truly thriving; always on the road, with something new always around the corner. The bustling subway car melted away, as Nishinoya droned on and on, explaining all of the new cuisine and sights in avid detail. He was so enthralled in this episode, he only just noticed they had arrived at his stop, and escaped the car moments before the doors slammed shut.

_ I should call him sometime; catch up and see how he’s doing _ , he thought, as he started up the stairs, shivering at the cool night breeze as he reached the top.  _ Ugh but what would we even talk about? I’d probably just bore him.  _ What would an explorer flying across the planet want to hear about from a simple corporate worker?

Suga continued down several winding streets, debating the predicament of calling him, until he arrived at his apartment complex; an unassuming dark grey brick nestled between a sea of identical apartments. He wearily punched in the keycode to the gate. He nodded politely to the half-asleep security guard and headed towards another set of stairs.  _ Wouldn’t mind getting squished in the elevator again, _ Suga thought grimly.

Three flights of stairs later, Suga arrived at his floor; inserted his key, and he was finally home. The apartment was dark, save for a digital clock hanging, the scarlet neon announcing the time, 7:15pm, to the room. Suga let out a groan.  _ Just enough to choke something down before bed _ . He hit the light switch, patiently waiting for the fluorescents to flicker to life. 

_ I’ve been here for 4 years, why does it still feel so….sterile? _ Suga mused to himself as he surveyed the small home. One or two small pieces of art that had come with the place lay bare on the dusty-creme colored walls. His unmade bed was unceremoniously shoved into one corner, while a lackluster dresser and a dusty coffee table next to a dingy television were the only other accessories to the house. The busiest part of the apartment by far was a sea of dirty dishes that Suga regarded with a resigned grimace.  _ Ok, I need to actually make a dent in that. _

The next hour was a blur of soapy water, overboiling a simple packet ramen for dinner, and a quick shower before bed; he’d need to be getting up around 6:00am if he wanted to make it to work on time. He stared at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth mechanically, feeling a slight pang of disappointment seeing how pallid he looked.  _ When was the last time I got some sun? Or went on a run?  _ He took a moment to flex one of his arms, his mood worsening at the lack of definition in arms that once helped carry a team to nationals.  Suga wearily switched off the light and climbed into his bed.  _ Maybe I need to get a gym membership, _ he thought as he stifled a yawn.  He stared numbly at the ceiling, looking for shapes and designs in the indentations of years-old plaster, willing an answer to all his problems to emerge from tired plaster.

Night was always a challenge. A day of monotonous work meant that the only time his brain could start truly running wild was within the confines of his home, mere moments away from unconsciousness.

_ I need a vacation. Or a raise. Something. Anything really. Maybe moving to the city should come first. Vacation is temporary, but lowering my commute would feel like a vacation of its own…...maybe I should call in sick more often. Or at least once. Have I ever taken a sick day? I haven’t…..not in three years. What am I doing? Who am I? I wanna eat Brazilian food and sweat in a pavilion too! Do I even have a passport? I should check on that. God. I wanna go to music festivals for artists I don’t know. Or go bar hopping. Something. Anything. I want...I just want to feel like I’m really living…..to live…..yeah……...that’d be…….nice- _

**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP**

Suga’s eyes snapped open. He reached for his phone, fingers stumbling in the dark. He must’ve fallen asleep for just a couple of minutes. Or maybe an hour?

**6:00am**

He stared at the numbers in silence; a sea of choice expletives vying for use against the simple passive-aggressive existence of the time of day.

“...............fuck.”


	2. Something New

“Morning Suga!”

“Gfjkdjfslkfjssnnnnnn….”

“Definitely.”

Suga looked up from his computer. His eyes were bloodshot and slightly manic, causing Daichi to quickly place his offering of a large cup of coffee in front of him before backing up, hands raised jokingly. “Rough night? Cliffhanger on your drama? Did Anna ever wake up, or was it Ji-Soo?”

“Those aren't even their names!" Suga snapped. "Didn’t even get a chance to watch an episode,” he mumbled, seizing the mug and taking a deep draft of the bitter office-grade caffeine. Got into bed and blinked, and it was the morning. Didn’t feel like I got a any sleep.”

Daichi made a grunt of agreement. “Sorry man, that’s always the worst when that happens. At least it’s Friday, you can catch up on some rest this weekend!”

“Yay,” Suga muttered bitterly. “The only free time I have allotted is just gonna be used to regain my lost sleep. I’m living the life.” He took another gulp of coffee, catching himself as he saw a concerned expression on Daichi’s face. “Don’t worry about me,” Suga said hastily, trying to downplay his grievances. “It’s just not the best night, I’ll be fine next week. Anyway, how was the music concert?”

Good old Daichi, always so easily distracted. His eyes lit up as he launched into a set-by-set analysis of the band:  _ The Meaty Meaty Meat Boys _ . Besides the alarming name of the group, Suga let most of the words just go in one ear, and out the other as he finished his first cup of coffee.

“-And so then this girl we met at the concert, Yachi was her name I think, said she was working a pop-up underground wrestling thing going on tonight down by the wharf, so we’re gonna go check it out. Hey, you should come too! Wanna join?”

Suga blinked, his thoughts still on the second repetition of  _ Meaty _ . “-A what now?” Suga asked.

The brunette folded his arms, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. “You haven’t been listening at all have you.” 

“In my defense you make GREAT coffee.”

Daichi nodded sagely, allowing the compliment as a suitable apology before continuing. “True. No, I was just saying this girl we met at the concert told us about a pop-up pro wrestling event happening tonight. You wanna join? It’s the weekend after all.”

Suga pondered the proposition, while swirling the dregs of his coffee cup. Any event would mean they’d be out until 11-12 minimum, meaning he’d probably sleep through most of the weekend at this rate-

“First round of drinks are on me tonight,” Daichi begged.

“I’m in.”

Daichi feigned a loud groan, “I set myself up for that one didn’t I?”

Suga clapped him on the back as he stood up to go deliver a report. “You always do, dude.”

_________

Thankfully, the Friday workload wasn’t too crazy, and the day went by at a decent pace. Two reports, three meetings and a last minute memo, and they were finished; their boss, Ukai, even let everyone leave early for the day which cleared the floor in mere seconds.

Suga and Daichi walked down to their local pub, where Asahi was waiting for them. Asahi hugged Suga warmly; loudly exclaiming it had been too long since they had seen each other, before quickly giving Daichi a peck on the cheek before leading them into one of their favorite bars,  _ City Boyz _ .

The pub was quiet for the time being, with only a few other patrons taking up booths on the long side of the room. The bartender folded his arms as they approached the bar, and outstretched a hand. “ID’s or no service.”

Daichi narrowed his eyes at the red-head behind the counter. “It wasn’t funny the first 50 times Tendou.”

The bartender sighed dramatically, with an air of feigned superiority. “It’s not meant to be funny sir, we pride ourselves at running our bar well within all established guidelines-oof!”

Tendou interrupted himself with a squawk of surprise as Suga’s ID bounced off his nose. He glared at them for a second before they all broke out into laughter and exchanged handshakes across the table. 

Despite being volleyball rivals from different schools back in the day, they had ended up forming some new friendships over the years. Ten minutes later, the three were seated at the bar halfway through their second round of beers, chatting away with Tendou. Well, most of them had beers at least. Suga was putting away his second Midori Sour.

“I still can’t believe you can handle all of that sugar and alcohol at once,” Asahi commented as he wiped foam off the stubble on his upper lip.

Suga grinned, already feeling a pleasant warmth making its way into his cheeks. “What can I say, I’m accursed with a sweet tooth; And I’m not waiting all night to get drunk off some wheat juice, thank you.”

Tendou chuckled, leaning towards Suga across the counter. “You should try the Final Spike Special sometime. Sangria with a secret house recipe! Guaranteed to knock you off your feet before you know it.”

“It’s just a Long Island + wine isn’t it.”

“No!”

“Tendou-”

“Yes.”

Suga laughed but shook his head appreciatively. “That actually sounds awesome, but I want to actually remember part of tonight.”

“Oh? You all got some plans for the night?”

Suga gestured towards Daichi and Asahi, who were busy cooing at one another. “These two lovebirds are dragging me out to some kinda pop-up event down by the wharf.”

Daichi looked up, already bleary-eyed. “Underground wrestling show! Heard about it at that  _ Meaty Meaty Meat Boy _ concert yesterday.”

Tendou stared at them in what looked like surprise for a moment, before he grinned cheekily at the inebriated trio. “ A band called  _ Meaty Meaty Meat Boys _ and a soap opera in spandex? Could y’all possibly get any gayer?”   
  


Suga shrugged nonchalantly as Daichi and Asahi took a brief moment to tactfully makeout in response. “I mean, at least it’ll be interesting, so once these two start acting up I can still focus on something other than not being a third-wheel.”

This made Tendou cackle gleefully, as Daichi and Asahi separated for an instant to glower at the two of them. After a few more rounds, more customers started flooding in, and pulled Tendou away, who bid them all a good night, and gave them a discount on their drinks.

“He’s an asshole,” Daichi muttered as they stood up to leave, “but a nice asshole.”

“Yeah,” Suga chimed in, “he’s OUR asshole.”

“Hear, hear,” Asahi chuckled.

The trio stumbled their way down towards the wharf. There was a slight chill in the air as the sun began to dip into the ocean, but the alcohol in their system kept them pleasantly oblivious as they loudly chatted and laughed on their way down the street. 

It was roughly ten minutes before they arrived at what looked to be a run-down warehouse with a line of people wrapped around the building. A muted  _ thrum _ of electronic music could be heard coming from somewhere inside.

“So like, how do these things work?” Suga asked in genuine curiosity, as the line slowly meandered forward the door.

Asahi shrugged apologetically. “Honestly, haven’t the faintest. I’ve never been to one either. Daichi’s the one that went all gung-ho for it.”

Daichi grinned. “No idea either. But it should be entertaining right? Action, drama, and muscles galore. I hear sometimes they fight outside the ring and jump into the crowd for dramatic effect.”

“They jump into the crowd??? Suga exclaimed in surprise. He eyed the dilapidated looking building with hesitation “Is that...I dunno….legal?”

Daichi laughed. “Dude like 90% of it is scripted. It’s like watching a drama or a play….just with a lot more speedos.”

A bored looking ticket agent in a bowl cut checked their ID’s, before handing them ticket stubs. “Merchandise is to the left, bathrooms to the right, and the ring is straight ahead. You’ve got 3 front row tickets 3A-C. Please make sure you’re seated within the next 10 minutes,” he said in a bored voice.

And with that, they entered the building. It looked just as rundown on the inside as it did from outside. Immediately, the soft electronic  _ thrum _ graduated to an ear-splitting EDM beat. Daichi quickly headed off toward the restroom, so Suga and Asahi wandered over to the merch table. T-shirts, caps, bandanas, masks, cups, and even fanny packs with wrestlers in various poses covered the back wall next to a small blonde-haired girl behind a large cash register. Suga saw one T-Shirt that literally just had the word CHEESE on it in bright neon yellow.

_ Maybe I should get something after the show  _ Suga thought to himself, staring at the throng of younger teens clamoring over a jacket with a feral looking grappler with a simple buzzcut, tongue out and hands raised in fists. The music paused, causing Suga’s head to snap up as a hyped voice broke over the intercom:

“ _ Welcome one and all to tonight’s Wrestle by the Wharf! This is your five minute warning, all attendees please make your way to your seats; the show is about to begin! Five minute warning. _ ”

“I guess this is kinda like a play,” Suga hummed, thinking about the last time he saw a musical a few years ago... _ A few years ago? God I really  _ **_do_ ** _ need to get out more…. _

Daichi popped up moments later, complaining loudly about the stench from the toilet, as they moved towards the ring. They quickly found their seats at the front; three dingy beat-up metal chairs with peeling grey paint. Suga looked around, taking it all in with a sense of bemused interest. It really wasn’t what he had been expecting when he had agreed to this venture earlier today. The room was packed with people of all ages who were all clamoring with excitement. The energy was kind of infectious, Suga had to admit. 

A referee wearing a striped black-white polo was pacing around the ring, checking the heavy ring ropes and inspecting the padding in the corners. Suga couldn’t help but notice the whole ring, from ropes to posts were creaking and swaying slightly with every push and pull from the referee.

“Do you think it’s safe? It doesn’t look like it’s-”

“They train on these all the time I hear, they know it like the back of their hands, they’re fine,” Daichi half-shouted over the din. “It’s probably part of the theatricality of it anyway!”

“Hmm.” Suga mumbled, not buying Daichi’s reasonings. But the lights were suddenly dimming, and Suga let it slip from his mind as the crowd cheered in anticipation.

What looked to be the announcer of the night was climbing into the ring wearing a bright neon red vinyl blazer. It was so disarmingly ugly, Suga made a mental note to purchase one tomorrow. He was a lean weathered looking man, with a thick pair of glasses on his face. He cleared his throat before launching into his introduction.

“GOOOOOOOOOOOOD EVENING SUPER FANS AND WELCOME TO TONIGHT'S  **WRESTLE** BY THE  **WHARF** ! WHO’S READY FOR SICKENING MOVES? WHO’S READY FOR DAREDEVIL LEAPS? AND WHO’S GOING TO EARN THE TITLE KING OF THE BRAWL TONIGHT?”

Suga was taken aback at the ferocious energy coming out of this dainty looking bookworm. The crowd erupted with screams of excitement all around Suga, not realizing until half a second later that his two friends were bellowing and hooting right along with the rest of the audience. He shot a look of confusion at Daichi who just grinned broady. “When in Rome dude!”

“WELL SIT TIGHT AND ENJOY YOURSELVES! WE’VE GOT A LINE-UP GUARANTEED TO ENTERTAIN EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!” The announcer screamed, as if his very life depended on it, his glasses knocked askew. He was jumping left and right, waving his arms, and doing everything possible to whip the audience into a frothing mass. Suga nonchalantly whipped out his phone to record some of it; it was too good to pass up.

“WE’VE GOT THE LIGHTNING TWINS UP AGAINST THE COBRA COALITION! DYNAMO’S PAIRING OFF AGAINST THE ORANGE FLAME! AND AFTER THAT, WE’VE GOT OUR BRAWL FOR THE TITLE! WHO’S FIGHTING FOR KING OF THE BRAWL???? YOU’LL HAVE TO STAY TO FIND OUT! NOW LET’S GET THIS PARTY STAAAAAAARRTED!”

________

Suga had no idea what to expect, but he hadn’t planned on enjoying himself nearly as much as he thought he would. Everything from the outlandish moves, to the tongue-in-cheek acting, to the actual physicality of the punches and leaps off the ropes, every moment was packed with pure unbridled energy. Suga quickly found himself wound up just like Daichi and Asahi, and began screaming and cheering just as loudly as them.

The Lightning Twins; real life twin siblings in matching yellow tights, were about as haughty and arrogant as they came, spending half of the match flexing and posing for the crowd . The other half of the night involved them getting the snot beaten out of them by the Cobra Coalition; two spunky wrestlers by the names of Koji and Suguru who went out of their way to antagonize not just the twins, but the audience as well. Suga caught himself feeling a bit sorry for them as the audience launched into a barrage of boos and jeers, until Daichi reminded him that it was part of their character.

“I didn’t realize things could get so heated,” Suga shouted as one of the wrestlers, Suguru flipped off the crowd while holding one of the twins in a chokehold. The fans ate it up; some crying for the wrestler to break out of it, and some hurling expletives at the “villain.”

“Everything’s more exciting with someone to hate just a little bit, even if it isn’t real,” Daichi laughed and shrugged, and then hollered with excitement when both of the twins unleashed a surprise counter attack by leaping off the top rope into their opponents for the win.

Next up was The Orange Flame, a tiny little cannonball of energy with a shock of orange hair in bright neon-orange singlet, that straight up sprinted into the ring. He was quickly followed by Dynamo; a tall cheeky show-boating grappler almost twice the other wrestlers height. The larger wrestler immediately got down to business; business being tossing the smaller man around the ring like a sack of potatoes. Incredibly, after each toss or hold, the orange haired man would leap up with even more renewed energy and vigor to the delight of the crowd.

“He doesn’t know when to quit,” Asahi marvelled as the Dynamo finally flung the smaller man down, head-first to the ground with a thunderous crash. “We coulda used someone like that back in high school.”

“1…..2…..3!” The ref signalled the match was over, as Dynamo helped the smaller wrestler to his feet, giving him a hug and helping him out of the ring. 

“I….don’t think he knows where he is right now after that.” Suga laughed as the The Orange Flame waved blearily to the crowd as he was ushered off the stage.

“AND NOW…….THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! IT’S TIME FOR OUR LEGENDARY BRAWL FOR THE TITLE! TONIGHT, TWO STARS OF THE SCENE WILL COMPETE TO-”

Suga whipped out his phone again to capture more of the fanatic announcer. “I almost enjoy him more than the wrestlers,” Suga chuckled as Daichi and Asahi guffawed.

“-FIRST UP, HE’S A TERROR TO ANY PRETTY FACE, EVEN HIS OWN MOTHER! THE MASKED VILLAIN KNOWN AS……...DEVIL!”

The room darkened, and a painfully bright spotlight shone into the crowd to reveal a wrestler making his way to the ring wearing a pitch black singlet. His mask was also completely black, with no openings for the face, which creeped Suga out a little bit. After climbing over the ropes, he stalked back and forth, head tilting back and forth like a creature from a horror movie.

“Dude this guy’s creepy as fuck-”

“-AND OUR NEXT CHALLENGER, HE’S ROUGH, HE’S TOUGH, HE’S NEVER HAD ENOUGH, IT’SSSSSSS ACE!”

Suga turned, as the spotlight veered away from Devil, to land on another man pushing his way through the crowd. Unlike his opponent, his head was free of a mask, showing a sharp silver buzzed head and wide ferocious eyes. His mouth was opened wide in a jeering grin as he shouted and roared reaching out to greet the crowd, who were going wild trying to shake his hand or touch him. Suga instantly recognized him as the one wrestler the kids had been clamoring about at the merch table.

Instead of climbing through the ropes like his larger opponent, Ace simply leaped over them, landing squarely in the ring before pumping his fists at the ceiling to the roar of the fans.

“And I thought The Orange Flame was energetic,” Daichi whispered as the wrestler ripped off his shirt and began viciously swinging it around like a windmill.

“Ohhhhh I saw this guy at the merch table,” Suga exclaimed.

“How can you tell-” 

“-The muscles.”

“Of course that’s how you’d recognize him,” Daichi snickered before yelping in surprise as Suga poked him in the ribs.

Granted, Suga had never been to a wrestling event before. He had only seen two other matches just earlier this evening. But for some reason he could already sense something different in this match. Even just with the introductions. There was a feeling of sincerity behind Ace’s actions; his posture, his energy, his smile. There was something welcoming behind that grin. While the other wrestlers had acted and performed well, it was fairly easy to tell what was choreographed and planned. With this guy, well…..it just felt more natural, if that even made sense.

The bell sounded, as the two wrestlers sized one another up. The Ace, dancing on the balls of his feet, a determined grin on his face, and The Devil, merely twisting his head to follow his opponents movements.

Suddenly, Devil darted forward; The Ace just barely rolled out of his attack, and was back on his feet within moments. Again, Devil lunged forward, grasping at air as Ace spun out of his path.  _ Why is this one so much more exciting?  _ Suga thought to himself, realizing his hands were clenched, nails digging painfully into his palms.

The Devil again pounced and this time he was successful; the larger man swung behind his opponent, wrapping one leg over Ace’s leg while yanking his arm back and pulling on it savagely. The Ace winced as his body was twisted like a contortionist. Daichi whistled- “I don’t think Asahi and I even get that connected when we-”

“-if you don’t SHUT UP-” Asahi hissed, taking a page from Suga’s book, and whacking Daichi in the side.

“Ow! It was just a joke I-OW! Ok, sorry!” Dacihi pleaded to little avail.

“Sure didn’t need that type of info on your love life buddy, but thanks anyway,” Suga seconded, not taking his eyes away from the action.

  
  


Ace was groaning in pain as the larger grappler continued to wrench on his arm, muscles taut as he attempted to break free. Devil then delivered a stiff slap to Ace’s exposed chest that EVERYONE in the building surely heard. Suga couldn’t help but wince as he heard the wrestler groan in pain.  _ That doesn’t sound like he’s acting right now. _

Abruptly, Ace dropped to one knee and spun sharply to the left, yanking The Devil over his head onto the mat with a slam that shook the entire ring.

Ace slowly pushed himself up to his feet, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He turned to gaze at the loudest section of the crowd which so happened to be the same side Suga was on.  _ Is he looking right at me _ ?  _ Wait that’s stupid. _ For a moment everything was still, before the wrestler grinned and gave a small wink. Even if he wasn’t looking at Suga specifically, Suga could feel his face flush. The wrestler suddenly charged forward into the ring ropes. The elastic creaked menacingly as he rebounded off of them to leap onto his opponents body with a resounding  _ SMACK _ .

“AGAIN!” the crowd screamed as he jumped to his feet, Devil writhing on the ground.  _ Are these two even acting or are they literally trying to kill each other? _

Content to obey the crowd, Ace rushed at the ropes a second time, rebounded, and this time flipped in midair before crashing down again on the prone wrestler.

“How the hell do you even DO something like that and not flat out die?” Suga hissed, as Daichi bellowed so loud he started wheezing.

“AGAIN!!!!!” The crowd roared with even more ferocity. With that, Ace punched the air, skipped twice, and rushed at the ropes closest to the trio to rebound for the third-

**_POP_ **

As Ace collided with the ropes, the rubber surrounding the ropes snapped. Suddenly the ropes separating the ring and the audience were whipping through the air. The wrestler was now careening through the air, twisting as he flew straight towards Suga. He only had a moment to raise his arms instinctively when-

_ FWUMP _

Suga blinked and felt a sudden weight in his lap. He squinted; the spotlight was shining directly onto his face. Him and….the winded wrestler he had just caught stomach first in his arms. Ace’s head slowly raised semi-dazed, and they locked eyes, mere inches apart. Suga could feel the man’s heartbeat racing through his hands, see the genuine surprise in his intense blue-grey eyes. His mouth slightly agape, panting breathlessly as his brain undoubtedly was trying to catch up. Suga felt himself blushing again, and couldn’t do anything to stop it.

It felt like a brief lifetime in the space of a few seconds. The two of them staring at one another in a moment of quiet shock and confusion; a sweaty wrestler wearing nothing but some silver trunks and boots, and a disheveled drunk office worker. Suga’s mouth finally opened, stammering to try and form words

“Um...hi. You ok?”

The half-naked man blinked slowly before seeming to remember he could speak as well. “Oh uh….yeah….yeah I think so…..thanks for the….catch?” He cocked his neck to the side, to try and get a better look at his savior. “You good? Didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Now it was Suga’s turn to stare back in confusion until he too remembered that responses helped to keep conversations going. “Oh yeah! Um…..I’m great!” He grinned weakly as if trying to emphasize the fun he was having, but in retrospect, he probably just looked like he needed to use the restroom. “Um, it’s a good match so far….you’re doing really...well?”

Suga expected a lot of different responses in this situation. What he wasn’t expecting was for Ace’s cheeks to suddenly flush with color, possibly the same intensity as his own? “Oh! Uh thanks...heh….appreciate it. Um.”

“Yeah.” 

_ ‘Yeah???’ A cute guy falls into your lap and that’s how you respond? God why am I so bad at talking to people?  _ Suga thought to himself miserably.

“Uhhhhh...what’s your name?”

Suga snapped back to reality at this question. His name! He knew his name, knew it perfectly well! “Oh! Yeah sorry, um I’m Sugawara.”

The grappler smiled up at him appreciatively. “Nice to meet ya then Sugawara, thanks for the rescue! I’d get off you,but um….. I think you’re….uh….still grabbing my chest….kinda hard….so….mind letting me up?”


	3. All Over the Place

_When did this become my life?_

“Oi Tanaka, you dreaming over there? Those lattes aren’t gonna make themselves.”

Tanaka blinked, his eyes refocusing onto the daunting line of cups sitting patiently on the counter and the cashier, Kenma, staring at him with a feigned sense of impatience.

“Oh yeah!” he said, scrambling for the first cup. “Sorry ‘bout that. Yeah….on it!”

He swiftly jumped back into his morning rhythm; prepping the milk for foam, pulling fresh espresso shots, sprinkling in any additives, a final check, lid, and finally service. Within seconds he was functioning like a well-oiled machine of muscle memory. The next 30 minutes passed in a blur of caffeine, sugar, and an old lady that spent almost 15 minutes deciding what she wanted, as Tanaka calmly guided her through the menu.

Inwardly, Tanaka berated himself for zoning out on the job. The past few months had felt like a rushed mess every day; a blur of new tasks, or other requirements, toeing the line between controlled chaos and pure insanity. _But that’s still no excuse_ he thought to himself admonishingly. He didn’t need to lose another part time job. 

All in all, despite the occasional off-day, Tanaka was reasonably happy, if tired, with his daily routine. Wake up at 5 every morning and run to his first job here at the _Karasuno_ _Café_ to help open with Kenma until noon, grab a bite to eat for lunch and then head across town for his job as a personal trainer at the local gym until 6:30. From there, he wolfed down dinner, or skipped it all together if he didn’t have the time, and then the evening was what Tanaka always looked forward to; wrestling.

Honestly, Tanaka had never really thought about it as a ‘profession’ growing up. He and his friends had enjoyed watching matches off and on as kids; the drama and machismo coupled with crazy outfits and crazier fights had thoroughly entertained him. On more than one occasion, he had been chastised by his parents for attempting to execute a jump or dive, only to injure himself in the process. Many would have thought the self-inflicted injuries would be enough to deter him. But they were clearly wrong. 

Tanaka had made it through highschool with decent grades, but he had never stood out academically compared to his peers. Over time, the only way he seemed to gain any type of attention, whether positive or negative, was through his humor and his athleticism. And after discovering his knack at magnifying those traits in the wrestling circuits, he had elected to halt his studies at university altogether; picking up part time jobs to tide himself over as he trained and competed.

The café was finally entering a lull for the first time in at least four hours. Tanaka groaned, vainly attempting to massage a crick in his neck from practice the night before. And by practice, he meant getting repeatedly suplexed into the floor mats at the gym about a dozen times to practice landing with minimal impact. Kenma sidled over, swiping his blonde bangs out of his face for the 80th time today, and pushed an energy bar his way. “Did practice go late again? You missed our raid session in that new Abyss Dungeon online.”

Tanaka shook his head apologetically as he tore into the first bit of food he’d had all day. “Sorry _mmph_ , man I meant to send y’all a text; my sparring partner ran late and I had to run a few errands before I got home. And Taketora forgot to pay the power bill so it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.”

Kenma groaned in disbelief. “AGAIN???”

Tanaka let out a dry chuckle. “Swear to god Kenma, it’s the third time this year. You’d think your boyfriend would have remembered that its due the first of each month by now. It’s a miracle I woke up on time for my shift today.”

Kenma shared an equally grim laugh with Tanaka. “I think he’s using 100% of his energy right now just trying to remember our anniversary, so there’s probably not much room left for utilities at the moment.”

Tanaka nodded understandingly, as if that was an agreeable reasoning. “I mean kudos to him for remembering what’s most important,” he said, winking and shooting finger guns at Kenma. Kenma simply nodded in agreement as Tanaka continued. “All I’ll say is that the power better be on by the time I get back from my match tonight. If I can’t read the three semi-positive tweets about me I WILL cry.”

At this, Kenma’s eyes widened and he clapped Tanaka on the shoulder. “Oh! You got picked for the title match?”

Tanaka shuffled backwards to give himself adequate space and struck his iconic pose; both arms raised, flexing in a faux-bodybuilder pose, as he flashed his trademark grin at his friend/boss. “You know it! Ace is back and looking for a shot at the title!’

Kenma gave a deadpan round of applause, muted so as not to disturb the patrons enjoying their beverages nearby. “Nice job man! Do you know who you’re up against?”

The brief moment of arrogant bravado faded almost as fast as it had come. Tanaka’s face fell and his arms fell limply to his side. “Take a wild guess,” he grumbled.

Kenma’s face dropped as well. “Oh God, not Devil again-”

“-It’s Devil.”

Kenma sighed, giving Tanaka a sympathetic look. “Shit…sorry man. Well I mean, he’s a….what do you call them...a ‘heel,’ right? Isn’t it his job to be nasty?”

Tanaka shrugged, unable to hide his annoyance. “I mean yeah, but usually heels tend to actually be nice outside of matches. Those guys in Cobra Coalition are great heels in the ring, but Koji and Suguru are super chill in real life! Like, we go out for drinks every once in a while.” He leaned against the counter top, brow furrowed. “Devil’s the only one that never joins us after matches. Not for drinks, not for house parties, nothing. He’s a jerk 24/7.”

“I mean with a personality like yours, I guess you need an equivalent ‘bad guy.’ He makes things exciting at least-”

‘-He makes it exciting because never pulls his punches like he’s supposed to!” Tanaka interjected, glaring menacingly at a nearby back of coffee beans. “Half of the moves he uses are just supposed to **look** painful, to give us some time to collect ourselves. Except with him! Every single strike or toss he’s fully just trying to beat the snot out of us….pretty sure I still have bruises from our last match.”

“Well try and take it easy over the weekend; I think you’ve got a double shift on Monday. It’s a delivery day, and I know how much you love putting those muscles to good use.”

“Gee, can’t wait,” Tanaka grumbled sarcastically, already dreading the heavy crates of beans and creamer he’d have to be moving. Kenma bit back a chuckle, and turned to greet the new customers that had just entered.

_Maybe I can ask Devil to piledrive me through a table and I can take a sick day,_ Tanaka mused to himself half-seriously as he stepped up to receive the cup and order from Kenma. He shook his head. _Nah, don’t wanna give him any more ideas._

________

A few hours later, Tanaka headed off down the street towards the subway; munching on a croissant from the cafe; Kenma had bought it for him, calling it his “last meal.” _Sarcastic little bugger,_ he thought to himself as he skipped over a pothole in the road. But that was just Kenma’s way of showing affection to his friends.

Tanaka couldn’t help but grin, remembering meeting him for the first time at their interview at _Karasuno Cafe_.

_The back of the cafe was stuffy and muggy, with a cloying scent to it, undoubtedly from the hundreds of bags of sugar and additives stocking the cabinets surrounding the two. Tanaka sat, back uncomfortably straight, trying not to fidget too much. Across from him, Kenma lounged in his chair, clipboard and pen in hand. “So you’re flexible with mornings...got it; we’re looking for someone to help with openings so that’s a plus,” Kenma had said matter-of-factly as he took down notes. He surveyed Tanaka from behind the clipboard. “Any other responsibilities or duties I should be aware of?”_

_Tanaka had rubbed the top of his head nervously, he had just shaved it down again this morning to ensure no patches of hair were sticking out like a sore thumb. He hated how interviews always made him self-conscious. “Oh yeah uh....I’ve got another part-time job in afternoons from 1-6:30, and then I’ve got...extracurriculars in the evenings.”_

_Kenma had nodded again, “So we can still call you in for coverage in the evenings then if it’s just an extracurricular-”_

_Tanaka had quickly shaken his head. “-Oh no, it’s….uh….it’s a job, it’s just a little more sporadic….and it...changes a lot and uh……...yeah” he finished lamely._

_The smaller man raised an eyebrow. “Do you mind sharing what this…’extracurricular’ is if you can’t call out of it for coverage?”_

_Fuck._

_Inwardly, Tanaka cursed, and steeled himself; he hated having to explain. “Um….it’s for….wrestling matches and training.”_

_There was a distinct moment of silence that filled the back room. The muffled sounds of the cafe softly permeated the quiet._

_“Wrestling?”_

_“Yeah.” Tanaka muttered, suddenly very intent on reading the ingredients on the bag of coffee flavoring, stacked on the shelf to his right. Any moment now, this guy would say the position had already been filled, or that they weren't really looking for-_

_Kenma spoke, interrupting Tanaka's self-depreciating train of thought. “Huh...that’s a new one. Like the Olympic style...or the oiled-up speedo kind?”_

_Tanaka’s mouth opened and closed, disarmed by the frankness of Kenma’s delivery. His left foot tapping a staccato rhythm. “Um….not the Olympic one?”_

_Kenma regarded him a moment more, before jotting that down. “Cool, that type is more entertaining anyway. Ok, so just mornings for you...and you can handle heavy lifting right?” Minutes later, he was shaking the store managers hand, the job secured._

________________

Despite his dry humor and more introverted demeanor, looking back, Kenma had been the first employer that hadn't been opposed or dismissive of Tanaka's wrestling on the side, and it had meant the world to him.

Any other time he had divulged his ‘extracurricular’ in the middle of an interview, other job prospects suddenly didn’t have any more questions, and he ‘ _would hear from them soon with next steps.’_ Only those next steps never came. And if he waited until he was working to divulge his wrestling practice, he would constantly get questioned of his true intention working with said company.

Kenma had not only been professional about it in the interview, he had been proactive in checking in with the fledgling wrestler; asking for updates on schedules and matches, or checking to see if he needed to change times for upcoming training sessions from time to time. He had been genuinely interested in it, asking non-invasive questions that Tanaka had been happy to answer. What's more, he had actually come out to see Tanaka's first official match, despite being well known for hating crowds and noise. But there he had been, in the front row, clapping and cheering for him.

It was through those kind gestures, that Tanaka had randomly introduced Kenma to his roommate and occasional tag team partner, Taketora, an equally loud and boisterous fighter in the ring. Taketora had said roughly 18 words before Kenma had asked him out on the spot. Taketora had briefly short-circuited before accepting, and now almost two years later, they were close to celebrating their anniversary for the first time. It should have been the second time, but Taketora had completely forgotten the first year. Something that Kenma would never let him forget

  
_Ugh, I wish I could just work at the café for fun, not just to make enough to keep wrestling viable,_ Tanaka thought wistfully as he quickly ascended the stairs, pushing the glass doors open, and feeling the muggy humid air of the fitness center rush to greet him. When compared to his morning at the café, being a personal trainer always felt like twice the energy and drama; it was a whirlwind of different people with questions, demands, inquiries, and random statements. Today involved setting three older ladies up on treadmills as they loudly discussed how much more attractive he’d be with more hair, and continually spotting for a loudmouth that was too stubborn to reduce the weight on his bench press despite Tanaka’s advice.

One of the pros of working at a fitness center is that it helped Tanaka start getting warmed up for tonight. He’d need to be as loose and limber as possible if he was going to be going up against Devil again. And Friday afternoons barely had any members, meaning he was able to get in a full workout himself. Today he was able to do squats, bench press, some cardio, and a long bout of full-body stretches. The crick in his neck from the morning was no longer hurting, putting him more at ease. He chatted with the front desk receptionist, Kiyoko as he checked out for the evening.

“Heard the good news ‘Ace.’ can’t make it tonight but fill me in on Tuesday, ok?” she said, raising her hand for an expectant high-five.

Tanaka grinned and brought his hand forward, crashing it into Kiyoko’s with exuberance. “I’ll bring in the belt, just you wait!” He said with a laugh.

Kiyoko smiled, only wincing slightly and casually shook the sting out of her hand; Tanaka’s high-fives were always a little over the top. Tanaka grimaced and bowed his head in apology but Kiyoko merely waved him off. “Just save your energy for the ring instead of my hand, Tanaka.”

As he stepped out the door, he checked his watch; he had roughly an hour and a half before call-time. Tanaka decided not to risk it, and elected to skip on dinner until after the match; he wanted plenty of time to review and prepare if it was going to be for a title. He set off down the street at a rapid pace. His first title match since joining the company.

Despite being excited for tonight, he still couldn’t help but feel annoyed at being paired with Devil again, especially for a title match. It was frustrating because Devil was extremely talented; he couldn’t deny that. But the complete refusal to engage with the other members, and the inability to pull his punches always made Tanaka wonder if he had accidentally offended him in some way to warrant this behavior. _Maybe he’s just really intent on selling the kayfabe 24/7,_ he thought bitterly to himself.

Devil was what they called a submissions expert; audiences always enjoyed a sadistic bad guy that twisted his opponents into unnatural and uncomfortable shapes; straining their joints and muscles until they had to literally beg him to release them or tap out. _He’s probably a low-key sadist….he never even goes for pins, he just likes making everyone submit or give up._

_I wonder if they’ll make me a full-time heel someday,_ Tanaka wondered as he bypassed a group of businessmen on the sidewalk. Tanaka was currently referred to as a ‘tweener’, or in-betweener. Some days he was the “bad” guy against someone smaller or weaker, and sometimes he was the one getting thrown around and put on display. His energy in the ring had never been 'bad' or 'good;' just ambiguous and over the top, making him an instant crowd-pleaser with his antics. 

_Story of my life,_ he thought sarcastically. Ever the odd-one out, flitting between different roles in the ring, or different jobs in the real world, in that perpetual limbo of not knowing what comes next.

  
_Ugh, Why am I getting all touchy feely right now? I don’t have time to be thinking about all this, gotta psyche myself up for getting the snot beaten out of me_.


	4. Taking the Fall

It was still early enough at the warehouse that a line hadn’t begun to form for the match. A large peeling poster graced the entrance, with terribly photoshopped images of yours truly, as well as the other wrestlers in various poses. He briskly knocked twice on the side door, and waited a few moments before the door sprung open to a young man half Tanaka’s size in a set of boxers with a neon orange singlet half-pulled over his head.

Tanaka looked down at the smaller grappler currently being bested by his combat attire. “Hey Hinata, what’s up?”

“ _ Nffjfnnfnrp _ !” came a muffled response from behind the folds of spandex obscuring the wrestlers face, as he pawed at the fabric futilely; pausing briefly to give Tanaka a thumbs-up in greeting. 

Tanaka gently reached forward and grabbed the top of the singlet, and with a little maneuvering, found the top and pulled it down over the wrestlers face, revealing a shock of equally bright orange hair. Hinata looked up at him, a wide grin plastered across his face. “Thanks Ace!”

Tanaka smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. “Dude we aren’t against each other tonight, we don’t have to go with stage names.”

Hinata merely smiled all the wider and shook his head vehemently. “No way man! If it’s a title match, we need all the good energy we can for you!” He emphasized this by poking Tanaka in the chest with each word. “So it’s ‘Ace’ all night! Clear?”

"Fine, deal ya little goof," Tanaka chuckled, patting Hinata on the shoulder.

“Ohohohoho? Is the esteemed 'Ace' on time for once?” came a playful chuckle from the corner as Tanaka gently pushed his way in out of the cold and shut the door behind him. 

Hinata immediately spun, eyes blazing, and arms up ready to fight. “Get back Dynamo! Don’t interrupt!”

Another wrestler, slightly taller and a lot broader than Tanaka was leaning up against the wall; already dressed in his outfit for tonight's match. Dark black wrestling tights, gave way to show off the grapplers toned bare chest; his ensemble was complete, save for his black and gold mask that was being twirled around one of his fingers. He sighed dramatically. “Hinata I get it, we're opponents tonight , but you don’t have to be in character this much. You texted me like six times this morning telling me you were going to ‘make me wish I had never been born…’ it’s just a bit much, yeah?”

Hinata paused, and scratched his head awkwardly. “I know I know...but it’s fun! I get to be all cool and confident, and you get to be all mysterious and powerful and then everyone goes ‘ooooh’ and ‘wow!’ 

Hinata’s energy was terminally infectious. The wrestler couldn’t help but puff out his chest and jump into character. “Haha true! And _Dynamo_ will show _The Orange Flame_ the meaning of pain tonight!” he enunciated each word with a bounce of his pecs.

“Wait wait wait I gotta get my shoes on!” Hinata yelled, dashing off deeper into the locker room.

Dynamo shook his head and smiled fondly. “That little twerp is kinda nutty but man he’s fun to be up against.” He raised his gaze to lock eyes with Tanaka. “ How're you doing man? Ready for your debut title match tonight?”

Tanaka shrugged as pulled his shirt over his head, and popped open his locker. He could feel goosebumps forming over his bare skin just thinking about the match. “I dunno, Bokuto. Ready as anyone can be up against Devil.”

Bokuto nodded sympathetically as he pulled his mask on over his head, frowning and twisting his neck to adjust it to his liking. “Oh that’s right...RIP dude. Last time I had a match with him he kept me in a Torture Rack for like 5 minutes. Had to go to the chiropractor for that one.”

Tanaka gave a grim bark of laughter, while stripping down and pulling on a pair of silver spandex shorts. “Much appreciated dude,” he said sarcastically.

There was a brief lull as the two grapplers finished the final touches of their outfits; Bokuto Bokuto lacing up his mask, and Tanaka slipping on a pair of elbow and knee pads. Bokuto leapt up, and raised his arms threateningly. “How does the new costume look? Does it scream  _ luchador _ ?”

Tanaka eyed him up and down for a moment. In all honestly, he couldn't help but feel a little envious of Bokuto's physique. He was happy with his more limber and toned look, but the sheer amount of muscled on Bokuto was staggering. “A  _ luchador  _ the size of a tank, sure.” Tanaka remarked as he reached down to pull on his boots.

This seemed to be exactly what Bokuto was hoping for, as he admired himself in the nearby mirror, flexing to his reflection. “You coming out for drinks after?”

Tanaka shrugged. “Eh, probably. Depends on how beat up I am? Who else is coming?”

Bokuto scrunched up his face trying to remember. “Hinata for sure, so definitely count Atsumu in, dunno about his brother tonight. Both the Cobra’s are in too. Oh and the cashier, Yachi, she’s tagging along. I think she’s bringing her girlfriend.”

Tanaka shot Bokuto a thumbs up. “Cool! Yeah I’ll be there.”

Bokuto laughed and moved behind Tanaka, wrapping his massive arms around his waist, and easily lifting Tanaka into the air." Just practice what we did with the suplexes yesterday, and hopefully you’ll survive the night!” 

Tanaka sighed in mock exasperation as Bokuto lowered him back to the ground. Tanaka turned to face Bokuto, and the two of them grinned cheekily at one another before abruptly reached out and grasping each others chest. "Jiggle jiggle jiggle jiggle luck luck luck!" they both shouted, doing their best to not burst out laughing Bokuto was full of little inside jokes like that. He was always completely serious in a match, but had a personalized handshake or ridiculous faux-wrestling move for each member (excluding Devil) as a way of having fun with one another.

“Thanks dude. Good luck tonight, and don’t crush Hinata too hard....or Atsumu’s gonna be a pain in the ass at the bar,” Tanaka warned.

Bokuto just laughed. “No promises! Bring it on I say!” 

Hinata poked his head out from the doorway glaring at Bokuto. “Heard that you big oaf." He turned to Tanaka and jerked his thumb at the door. "Hey Ace, Takeda wants to talk to you and Devil for the match.”

“Thanks Hinata, I’ll be there in a sec.”

Bokuto was jumping back into character at the return of Hinata. “Oaf, who’re you calling oaf? C’mere you little beanpole-”

The sounds of the two wrestlers bickering faded as Tanaka sidled past them and made his way down the corridor to Takeda’s office. He could hear conversation going on inside, and knocked lightly on the door to announce himself.

The door opened to see Takeda looking fretful as ever; his glasses were askew, and his messy dark hair was sticking out at all angles. He was making some last minute notes on a MASSIVE whiteboard that took up one the entire walls of his office.

Takeda always looked a bit unkempt and distracted, but his eyes lit up as Tanaka entered the room. His passion for the sport and his stance on running a tight but fair ship spoke volumes to his character as their manager. He may get a bit over-emotional at crunch time, but he had never let that get in the way of a good show. "Excellent timing Tana-Ace! Welcome!" he said with a wide smile.

Behind him stood Yamaguchi, one of the newer referees working tonight. Tanaka nodded in his direction and shot him a welcoming grin, which Yamaguchi awkwardly returned. He was definitely more soft-spoken then most of the other referees they had, but his willingness to learn and his positivity was infectious. And next to him-

As always, Devil was a cold, uncomfortable presence in the office. He was leaning against the opposite wall, arms folded over his massive chest, his mask already on and secured; giving nothing away in terms of emotion.

“Hey Devil, let’s have a good match tonight.” Tanaka said, as always, making an attempt to establish rapport. He outstretched his arm for a handshake that he already knew wouldn’t be reciprocated.

“.......”

  
  


“Great talk as always,” Tanaka muttered, letting his arm drop limply to his side.

“I’m counting on the two of you for a good match!” Takeda said, completely unaware of the annoyed energy radiating from the two wrestlers. “We’ve had a good back and forth storyline so far, and I’m thinking a great way to continue it-”

Tanaka kept his face neutral, but inside he was praying... _ please don’t give Devil the win, please don’t give Devil the win, please don’t- _

“-and so I think for tonight, the victor will be Devil!

_Fuck._

"-it’ll ignite the fanbase more especially if it’s by one Devil’s trademark submissions, and we can build off of that for you to retake the title later in spring!”

Tanaka shot his manager a broad smile that didn’t come close to reaching his eyes. “Haha, sure! Sounds like a plan!" He pointed towards the whiteboard. "So, what’s our build-up?”

Takeda slapped him on the back jovially. “That’s my Ace! Always a crowd-pleaser one way or the other!” He rushed to the whiteboard, pointing excitedly at hastily drawn flowchart. “Based on these notes from our last few matches, I think we’ll start off with Devil in charge.” He pointed to Tanaka. “Dodge a few attacks of his, and he’ll move you into a light submission hold. From there, take control and transition to some showboating on your end, maybe some leaps/rebounds off the ropes, and after that Devil can work over a few throws and set you up for a finisher!” 

_ Ugh. _

Takeda tapped his lip, seemingly deep in thought; blissfully unaware of Tanaka’s souring mood. "Devil...you used a Torture Rack in your last match with _Dynamo_ , and a Boston Crab in your last one with _Ace_ so those two are out as finishers for tonight. Beyond that, I’ll let you pick, sound good? Just make sure it’s exciting and sells for the audience.”

Devil cocked his head to the side. “.........don’t worry. It will be.”

Takeda clapped his hands. “Perfect!” He briefly paused, and directed a stern gaze in Devil’s direction. “Just remember to ease up a tad; I don’t want a repeat of what happened with _Dynamo_ ; we’re entertainers, not enemies. And if it happens again, you’re the one footing the bill. Understood?”

Devil simply nodded. “..........understood.”

“Yeah,” Tanaka muttered under his breath, turning to leave the room, “understood perfectly.”

__________

Despite the impending pain he was sure to endure, Tanaka couldn’t help but feel that spark of excitement deep in his stomach. Even in the locker room in the back, with Bokuto and Hinata constantly at each other's throats, the volume of the audience began growing louder and louder. You could hear anticipation and excitement in that loud buzzing. People here to see him and his friends, and what they could do, what they had practiced for. There was arguably no better feeling in the world. 

Takeda, now dressed up in a ridiculously gaudy blazer, appeared behind the troupe on his way to the stage. “You’re all doing great, but let’s make sure we give 100% tonight!”

“Yes, SIR!” Hinata belted. The rest of the wrestlers burst into laughter as Hinata turned a deep red.

“Hey now, no need to be embarrassed,” Takeda said kindly, patting Hinata on the back. “Keep that energy and go get them!” 

“Break a leg y’all,” Tanaka said, grinning as the Lightning Twins and Cobra Coalition got to their feet, preparing for their entrance.

Suguru from the Cobra Coalition smirked as he eyed Tanaka up and down. He made a big show of bumping shoulders with him as he passed. “Worried about us? Worry more about yourself  _ ‘Ace _ ,’” he said mockingly.

Tanaka raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips. “Eh, 3/10. Your heel attitude needs more work.”

“No it doesn’t! I’m a GREAT asshole….right?” Suguru spluttered, but before he could respond further, Koji grabbed him by the arm and slowly pulled him away.

Bokuto grunted and stretched his arms. He turned to Hinata. “Alright shrimp, how many times am I gonna have to suplex you tonight? Last time it was 8. Think you can break your own record?”

Hinata was hopping up and down, his pre-match excitement once again getting the best of him. “Of course! 10! No maybe 15! Hundreds! You’ll never take me down!”

Bokuto clapped him on the back, knocking him off-balance as he bounced off an open locker door. “That’s what I like to hear! Let’s break some records tonight!”

Tanaka gazed over to see the Devil leaning up against a locker, watching him. They locked eyes, or at least the equivalent of staring at a blank mask. Slowly the Devil pointed a finger at Ryu, and then drew a line with it across his throat. Tanaka responded in kind with a light-hearted smile as he casually flipped the larger man off with both hands.

_ If he’s gonna hurt me tonight, I guess I’d better make sure I’ve earned it. _

  
  


_____________

The matches leading up to Tanaka’s didn’t disappoint; each of them were action-packed and fully engaging for the audience; Tanaka himself couldn’t help but get even more pumped watching them. 

Despite his antagonizing, Suguru and Koji were great villains that knew exactly what to do to set off the crowd; and the twins played up their cockiness, making it all the more satisfying that they were getting bulldozed. As arrogant as they acted, the twins were a force to be reckoned with in their own right, and after a sufficient beating, overcame the odds to pin both of their opponents at the same time for the win; a classic moment that every wrestling audience loved.

As Dynamo and The Orange Flame took the stage, Tanaka pulled on a simple black T-shirt in preparation; willfully ignoring the fact that he would be ripping the shirt off again ten minutes from now. Peeking through the entrance curtain, he couldn’t help but marvel at both of them. 

Bokuto’s strength was basically unmatched in their wrestlers circle; his chest and abs were probably thicker than Hinata’s entire body, and it didn’t help that Hinata weighed about 80 pounds soaking wet. Time after time, Bokuto would fling Hinata down to the floor with a thundering crash, but Hinata would leap up moments later like nothing had happened.

That was Hinata’s charm; no matter how much he got battered down, he would surge back with more energy and more vigor. He matched Bokuto’s strength with his speed and vitality, and would quickly win the hearts of any audience.

Even Tanaka winced when Bokuto finally wrapped the smaller man up, and used a piledriver to ram his head into the floor for the pinfall. He could tell that Bokuto was a little shaken as he used his victory theme to help Hinata up and usher him out of the ring.

“Nice job,” Tanaka whispered as they passed.

“There are crows eeeeeverywhere,” Hinata muttered loopily, now waving at the wall.

“Just give him an icepack and a drink, he’ll be fine,” Tanaka reassured Bokuto. “It wasn’t the piledriver, he’s just tired from breaking the record. Y'all hit 12 tonight."

“Yeah,” Bokuto muttered, still looking guilty, electing to pick up and carry Hinata off fire-fighter style. “Good luck on your match dude, I’ll save an icepack for you," he said as he disappeared off down the corridor.

“-EVEN HIS OWN MOTHER! THE MASKED VILLAIN KNOWN AS DEVIL!” Takeda’s voice cut through, snapping Tanaka back to reality. Takeda was already halfway through his announcements for the next match! 

_ Oh shit, I’m almost up! _

Quickly, Tanaka started jumping up and down, slapping his face a few times, psyching himself up.  _ You are unstoppable. You are one of a kind...even if you have to submit today, you’re gonna go out and there and give them a fuckin’ show. You’re the Ace! You’re the ACE! YOU’RE THE ACE!!!!! _

“ **-IT’SSSSSSS** **ACE!”**

Tanaka waited just half a second for the spotlight to land on the curtain before bursting through, a mix of adrenaline and excitement as he was surrounded by the crowd. A sea of excited faces, flashing lights, and deafening roars. The volume was insane, as the people clamored and screamed, drowning out Tanaka’s theme song.

The grappler assumed his trademark grin, one eyebrow arched as he made his way towards the ring at a light jog. Hands reached out from all directions, some grazing his shoulder or back, or some looking for a handshake; Tanaka always did his best to reciprocate as many high-fives and hand-shakes as he could on his way to the ring. He could see Devil already on the stage, head cocked in his signature creepy stance.  _ Look as creepy as you want, at least the fans like me more _ .

Upon reaching the ring, he firmly grasped the rope and vaulted over the top of it; almost stumbling on the landing as the rope gave a bit.  _ Shit, it’s still loose, I thought they had tightened it tonight,  _ he thought as he quickly grasped the bottom of his T-shirt, and ripped it off in one clean movement, windmilling the fabric over his head as he roared in excitement.  _ When in doubt show a little skin _ he laughed to himself as he flung it into the crowd.

He took a moment to stretch, surveying the room. It was nearly a full house, he could already spy several groups of regulars-and what looked like a trio of newcomers in the front seats looking starstruck at everything happening. Tanaka choked back a snicker; they looked like they had marched right out of a board meeting; not the typical attire for underground wrestling.  _ Well then, better make sure tonight is more entertaining than their board meeting! _

Yamaguchi signaled with his hand, and a bell rang a single sharp tone; the match had officially begun. Tanaka immediately began circling Devil, dancing on his feet, arms outstretched cautiously. Devil didn’t move; again, he merely twisted his head to follow the other wrestler's movements.  _ God he’s creepy, _ Tanaka thought to himself as he circled him a second time, stepping in closer-

Devil moved at the exact moment Tanaka blinked, lunging forward with arms outstretched.

_ Shit! _

Tanaka dove to the right, narrowly missing the huge arms of Devil, springing back up to resume his circling.  _ That one was close, can’t get caught by the very first- _ Devil lunged again, interrupting his thought process as he again dodged.  _ -or the second. _

As Tanaka circled him once more, one of his steps sank into the ring floor slightly; one of the floorboards must’ve been loose.  _ Shit! This ring is falling apart,  _ he thought. He couldn’t help but glance down-

And suddenly Devil was behind him.

Deftly, the larger wrestler straddled Tanaka’s leg with his own, while simultaneously looping his right arm over Tanaka’s left arm in an Abdominal Stretch submission move. Tanaka didn’t even have time to take a breath before Devil bent his knees, torqueing Tanaka’s chest and abdomen sharply in a painful stretch. Tanaka let out a yelp of pain at the unexpected strain on his side.

Tanaka’s thoughts were running wildly, as he wriggled his arms feebly in the hold, desperate not only to look convincing, but to actually break free.  _ Fuck! Fuck this hurts Fuck! This never fucking hurts! Bokuto’s put me in this a dozen of times and it never fucking hurt, what the fuck???? _

As if hearing the onslaught of mental expletives directed at him, Devil raised his free hand and brought it slamming down onto Tanaka’s bare chest with a heavy  _**SLAP**.  _ Tanaka couldn’t even double over in pain, as he was still wrapped tight in the hold. He merely gasped and groaned in pain, the crowd echoing his pain as they began to boo Devil. Unperturbed by the hate from the audience, Devil directed another heavy slap at Tanaka's chest, but he had had enough.

_ FUCK! YOU!!! _

Tanaka abruptly dropped to one knee and threw all of his weight in front of him, successfully flipping the larger wrestler up over his head and directly onto the floor of the with a resounding crash, causing the whole ring to shudder.

Tanaka couldn’t even hear the crowd’s appreciative cheering, as his eyes were watering from that strike to the chest; look’s like footing any medical bills hadn’t deterred him from pulling his punches.

Fortunately, Devil always listened to Takeda in terms of the progression of the match, and so he knew when to acquiesce, as he floundered in pain before Tanaka.  _ He probably didn’t even feel that, _ Tanaka thought bitterly as he wiped sweat from his face. 

He looked up, and saw one of the newcomers in the front row, looking….relieved? He was brushing blonde-white hair out of his face, and yelling at the top of his lungs. _ Was he actually worried about me? That’s…...cute as hell. _ Tanaka flashed a weak grin in his direction and winked.  _ All right, _ he thought as his gaze returned to Devil.  _ Time for a counterattack. _

His first move on the prone Devil was a simple Frogsplash; just flinging himself onto Devil’s chest using the momentum from rebounding off the ropes. He laughed inwardly as the Devil let out a soft grunt of real pain.  _ Oh he’s gonna destroy me after this _ .  _ He’s MAD. _

Tanaka finally began perceiving the cheers of the crowd yelling ‘again! Again!’  _ Better give them what they want, but with a little more finesse.  _ Again he rebounded off the ropes, but this time Tanaka turned sharply at a 180 degree before reaching Devil, and flipped backwards through the air to execute a Moonsault onto his opponent.

Tanaka gasped for air as he rose to his feet; he had landed slightly off-center and had temporarily winded himself. He still managed to raise his fist and punch the air in exuberance.  _ Ok ok, one more good lick in, and then he can wreck me, _ he thought to himself with grim satisfaction. He thought of the trio of newcomers again,  _ this is for you, my new fans. _

As he dashed towards the ropes, he couldn’t but envision what Devil was going to do to finish him after this. Would he stretch his back and neck in a Romero Special? Or possibly torque his arms in a Full Nelson or Cattle Mutilation? Tie him up with a Cobra Clutch Sleeper until he feigned unconsciousness? Tanaka was briefly so engrossed in imagining all the painful possibilities awaiting him, that he didn’t immediately notice the ropes snapping as he barrelled into them.

Suddenly he was flying again.  _ Huh, I don’t think I was in position for my….oh shit...oh SHIT! _

It felt like slow-motion, careening through the air, the spotlight capturing the moment perfectly as he attempted to twist into a safe position to roll out of it. The trio of newbies were slack-jawed and eyes wide as Tanaka flew closer to them.  _ I don’t think they’re gonna come back for a second show,  _ he thought as he closed his eyes, bracing for impact….

There was a soft jolt, and Tanaka winced reflexively, waiting for the burst of pain to shoot through his leg or arm. But it never came; just a sense of warmth. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked up. Just a few inches away, the newcomer with the white-ish hair he had winked at, was staring back at him incredulously, as if equally surprised at what had happened. 

Slowly, Tanaka realized that the newbie had straight up grabbed him out of the air, and he was now resting solidly on this strangers lap, clutched in his arms. His grip was surprisingly strong for someone who looked like he hadn’t spent a day outside in a decade.

The man finally spoke up, in a slightly confused tone. “Um...hi. You ok?”

Was he? Ok, that is. Tanaka pondered this briefly; nothing seemed to hurt, so maybe he was good to go? “Oh uh….yeah….yeah I think so…..thanks for the….catch?” Tanaka glanced down, suddenly worried that he had injured this stranger by landing in his lap. _Oh god please don’t be hurt, please don’t be hurt-_ “you good? Didn’t hurt you, did I?”

The audience member stared back at him in silence. Tanaka was about to repeat himself when he suddenly sprang to life and shook his head sharply. “Oh yeah! Um, I’m great!” He smiled warmly down at Tanaka, his soft brown eyes full of relief. “Um, good fight so far, you’re doing really well!”

Tanaka felt a slow burning in his cheeks. The upfront honesty and earnestness of this attractive fashionable stranger was...disarming. “Oh! Uh thanks...heh….appreciate it.” Tanaka tried to move but now realized that the stranger was still firmly clasping his chest, and felt his whole face growing redder, realizing that his sweaty half naked body was probably staining this man’s suit. He bowed his head to try and hide the blush. “Um.”

The man nodded matter-of-factly, not registering the awkward floundering going on in Tanaka’s head. “Yeah.” 

_ Gotta ask him to let go of me….um….this is AWKWARD! AUGH! Ok….just…..stay in-character sort of, and just ask his name. _

Tanaka forced himself to look up again and lock eyes with him again. “Uh...what’s your name?”

The man pondered this, as if he had never been asked this before in his life. Then his face brightened. “Oh! Yeah sorry, um I’m Sugawara.”

_ That’s a nice name. _

Tanaka smiled. “Nice to meet ya then Sugawara, thanks for the rescue!” 

_ Just be direct and kind about it _ , he thought to himself.

“I’d get off you, but um….. I think you’re….uh….still grabbing my chest….kinda hard….so….mind letting me up?”


	5. The Night is Young

The next 15 minutes passed in a blur. Suga had immediately squawked in a very unbecoming manner, and released the grappler from his grip. The announcer was on the stage moments later, apologizing profusely that the match would be unable to continue. But the audience didn't seem to mind at all; this had been the most exciting thing that had ever happened at one of these matches; people were jumping onto their chairs and stomping their feet, giving a standing ovation to the MC.

After a good three minutes of pandemonium the crowd finally began to settle. Eventually, the MC was able to restore a semblance of order, and informed everyone that they would be issued a discount on their tickets to come and see the rematch once the ring was repaired. Ace and Devil bowed to the crowd and departed backstage.

“I gotta say,” Daichi quipped as they collected themselves from their seats and headed for the exit, “That was like 1000000 times more entertaining than  _ Meaty Meaty Meat Boys _ .”

“I mean, one of those singers fell off the stage too,” Asahi reminded him as they pushed past a group of people clamoring with increased fervor at the merchandise table. “But they didn’t have a guardian angel like tonight.” he said, bumping into Suga playfully.

“Oh shut upppppp,” Suga laughed and pushed the two of them away, as they stepped out into the cold night, glad that the dark sky could hide his embarrassment. Most of the audience were already moving away from the warehouse, undoubtedly off to their homes, or a bar to continue the night. Suga noticed a small gathering of people gathering near one of the side doors. “What do you think they’re doing over there? It’s over, right?”

Daichi shrugged, trying to hold back a yawn. “Maybe they get a chance to meet the wrestlers and get autographs or something.”

_ Maybe I should wait and try and apologize to Ace.  _ “Mmm...what time is it?” Suga asked himself, as he reached into his pocket and grasped the pocket of space where his phone  _ should _ be. “Wait...where’s my phone?”

Asahi and Daichi’s heads turned back towards Suga, who was now patting a strange rhythm across all the pockets on his person. “Did you put it in another pocket maybe?”

Suga shook his head, frustrated. “No, I put it back after I recorded the announcer going nutty,” he said, palming each of his coat and back pockets a second time with no luck. “Damn, it must have fallen out-”

“-when you caught your dream man!” Daichi finished for him.

Suga shot another withering glare at Daichi, as Asahi did his best to cover his mouth. “Excuse me for saving someone from potential injury!” He pointed dramatically at Daichi. “If you’re ever in peril I’ll be sure to remember this.”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Daichi said, placatingly. “Let’s just check back at the front.”

They quickly backtracked to the half-asleep ticket checker by the entrance, but after explaining the situation, only Suga was allowed to re-enter. “You two didn’t lose anything,” the employee said matter-of-factly.

“It’s fine, really,” Suga said as both Asahi and Daichi opened their mouths to protest. “You don’t want to miss your train anyway. Mine’s not for another 30 minutes.”

“Are you sure dude?”

“We don’t mind waiting.”

Suga shook his head, smiling broadly at them. “100%! I had an awesome time with you all, thanks for suggesting this.” he quickly hugged the two taller men before waving and ducking back inside the warehouse.

The last few stragglers were leaving the merch table, their coveted gains tucked away in plastic bags as they jabbered to one another on their purchases. Suga walked briskly past the table, and arrived back at the front of the ring. It definitely had a different mood when it was empty; his echoing footsteps, the only sound as he walked up the aisle.

_ Gives me the creeps. _

He quickly arrived at his seat, and stooped down and began searching. There was a sea of popcorn bags, crushed soda cans, and other pieces of garbage.  _ Just my luck, _ he thought bitterly to himself,  _ I just updated the model on that thing. _

He began sifting through the pile of rubbish, not hearing a second pair of echoing footsteps approaching from behind. Not until he suddenly heard a voice right behind him.

“Hey man, the place is closed.”

Suga sighed in frustration and raised his head to respond. “I know, I know, I’m sorry I lost my phone and they let me back into-”

A familiar pair of bright blue-grey eyes met his gaze for the second time that night, causing his words to trail off into silence.

The man he had been cradling in his arms not 20 minutes ago, was suddenly standing beside him, leaning casually on what looked to be a broom the size of a doorframe. While he was still sporting the silver shorts and boots from his ring attire, he had donned a simple dark-blue T-shirt. His tanned arms still had a slight shine to them, and his face still carried a sweaty flush from over-exertion. His eyes widened in realization as he looked at Suga, who was currently hunched over clutching a fistful of empty candy wrappers.

“Oh!” He pointed at Suga, exclaiming. “Oh you’re….S-Su…..Suge….right?”

Suga stared at him for a second before shaking his head ever so slightly. “Oh, uh Suga. Sugawara Youchi.”

The wrestler groaned and tapped the top of his head with the broomstick handle in self-admonishment. “Ugh, my bad. Sorry.”

_ His head looks so smooth….I wonder what it feels like. _

“No, no it’s fine!” Suga blurted, waving his hands, hoping the grappler wasn’t also a telepath. “It was all kinda crazy in the moment back there.”

Ace nodded. “Yeah it was a lot.”

There was another moment of silence.  _ He’s only a bit taller than me. What’s his name? Should I ask that? What’s the harm? _

“So what’s yours?”

Ace cocked his head to the side in confusion. “Huh?”

“Oh! S-sorry!” Suga stammered.  _ Maybe I’m not supposed to ask _ . “I meant….your name? What is it?”

The wrestler tapped his chest, still looking confused. “I’m...Ace.”

_ Oh you idiot they’re probably not supposed to just give that out. Idiot! _

“Oh I’m sorry, I get it if you’re supposed to keep it hidden or-”

“Oh!” The taller man shouted, catching Suga off guard. “You meant my  _ real  _ name!” He knocked his head with the broomstick again, slightly harder this time. “Naw it’s fine outside of matches. I’m Tanaka Ryuunosuke. But just call me Tanaka”

_ That’s a nice name.  _

Suga smiled and held out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Tanaka. Officially that is.”

Tanaka slowly reached out and grasped Suga’s hand, shaking it firmly. He smiled warmly. “Haha yeah! Nice to meet you Suga. Or Sugawara. Sorry, do you have a preference?”

Suga shook his head, mirroring the wrestler's grin. “Either is fine, but my friends call me Suga.”

Tanaka nodded at this. “Then I’ll call you Suga too since we’re friends!”

_ Oh! Friend! I haven’t made a new friend in….in a while! _

The two of them continued shaking hands, probably a bit longer than normally acceptable parameters before Tanaka noticed, and released Suga’s hand, quickly looking away. “Good catch by the way. You saved me a couple bumps and bruises. You play a sport?”

Suga shrugged. “Volleyball….or I used to back in high school, so i’m a little rusty.”

Tanaka nodded appreciatively. “Well it was a nice receive if I do say so myself……...so! You said you’re looking for your phone?”

Suga turned back to the pile of trash at their feet that seemed to have doubled in size somehow. “Oh yeah....um, I think when I caught you it might have fallen out.”

Tanaka winced. “Ugh sorry again. Here, let me help you look.”

The two spent the next five minutes in awkward silence, save for the occasional rustle and rattle from the trash they were sifting through until-

“Found it!”

Ace proudly held up a phone that Suga immediately recognized as his own. Thankfully it didn’t look too messed up. The screen was aglow, albeit blurred by a thin film of dirt and grime from the arena’s floor, and his messages app was up; it must have turned on before sliding out of his pocket in all the excitement. 

Tanaka reached into his back pocket, and whipped out a paper towel, using a level of gentleness that made Suga do a double-take. Ever so carefully, he cradled the phone in the crook of his arm, as he rubbed and swiped the screen clear. Suga could see rough calluses decorating the palms of Tanaka’s hands, a statement in of itself of hard work and dedication. Suga was so intent on the calluses that he momentarily didn’t notice Tanaka offering the phone back to him.

“Oh! Th-thank you!” he yelped, reaching out and grabbing it.

Tanaka grinned and nodded his head. “No problem, you’re not the first to lose a phone here so we’re all prepared. Here, lemme walk you out.”

The two men walked side-by-side in silence as they passed the merch table. Tanaka briefly paused to greet the girl behind the counter who was packing away the merchandise. “Hey Yachi! How was business tonight?”

The small blonde-headed girl looked up from a box of fanny packs and gave Tanaka a bright smile. “Hi Ace! We did great tonight; we sold out of pretty much all the merch for you and Devil!”

Tanaka whistled. “Wow, I guess a snapping safety cable comes with some perks! See you in a bit!” He waved to her and they continued on towards the door. He clapped Suga on the shoulder. “All right Suga, here’s where we part. Sorry again if tonight wasn’t really what ya expected but-”

“Are you kidding?” Suga interrupted him. “I haven’t had this much fun in AGES. You’d better believe I’ll be there to see your next match.”

Tanaka’s eyes widened for a moment before another broad smile crossed his face. “That means a lot dude. Then for the next match, I’ll make sure it’s a good one!” His eyes darted to the empty street before looking back at Suga. “You need any help getting home tonight, or are you good?”

Suga waved him off. “I’m good, I’m all good.” He reached out and pushed the front door open, before pausing and turning back to look at Tanaka. “Have a good night….Ace.”

  
  


__________

Suga probably should’ve just headed home for the night. He’d had a long day, and needed the weekend to recuperate. The next train for him was at 9:45, and it was 9:38; if he ran he’d be able to make it.

But rest just wasn’t currently on Suga’s mind. The chain of events that had just unfolded had left him wired; sleep and rest were the last things on his mind. If anything, he needed another drink to calm down.

Suga debated heading back to  _ City Boyz _ , but was feeling the spark of spontaneity; a spark he hadn’t felt in a long time. Why not try something new? Suga sent a quick message to Daichi and Asahi that he was going to a bar before heading home, just to give the two of them peace of mind, before setting off down the street. The soft lull of the wharf waves slowly faded into the distance, replaced by the hustle and bustle of the city.

Before letting anxiety make him chicken out, Suga steeled himself and ducked into an unassuming pub with only a handful of customers. He sat himself in a small table wedged into the corner by the window, and a dour looking waiter quickly fixed him up with a Peach Crush. Within minutes he was left to his own devices to ponder the night, as he sipped his sweet cocktail and snacked on some bar pretzels.

A soft  _ ping _ from his phone alerted Suga, who held back a loud belch as he took out his phone to reveal a response from Daichi.

_ D: you need to crash at my place? Asahi’s already asleep but the couch is still free. _

_ S: nahhhhh I gotta goood drink itts all god _

_ S: god* _

_ S: good* lol _

_ D: …..Suga how many have you had already _

_ S: s’ only one half gone! M fine _

_ D: ok ok just text me if you change your mind, ‘kay? And for the love of God drink some water tonight. _

_ S: you da bossss ;) _

Suga snickered tipsily to himself, and sighed. This evening had been exactly what he had needed. He popped another pretzel into his mouth, too drunk to realize how god-awful stale it was.

As he chewed, he thought back to the wrestling matches; but his alcohol-induced mind kept conveniently skipping over the other matches, and focusing solely on Ace...or Tanaka...whatever. He didn’t recall any of the moves, he didn’t know proper etiquette, all he could recall was how much FUN it looked like the other man was having.  _ That’s someone with their life figured out, _ Suga thought wistfully, stirring his drink and watching the muddled tropical colors blend together.

_ When have I ever looked or acted that genuinely happy at work? _

Suga shook his head sharply, and fumbled with his phone.  _ You’re happily drunk, you’re not going to ruin another night by getting in your head,  _ he chided himself. He just needed to keep up the distractions...maybe some of Ace’s matches were on YouTube?

It took a few tries, as Suga’s fingers kept sliding and typing gibberish into the search function, but eventually he succeeded and was awarded with one or two grainy videos caught on a phone camera of Ace in other matches. The same silver shorts that matched his buzzed hair color, the same feral attitude, and the same toned physique. In one of them, he was up against that wrestler in the orange; it now seemed a common theme of absolutely destroying The Orange Flame, only for him to get up and shake it off like it was nothing.

The other one looked to be a team match of sorts; Ace was paired with another wrestler with dark red trunks, and a short blonde mohawk to differentiate the two buzzcut men. They were against The Lightning Twins, and from what Suga could tell, they were double teaming they were letting Ace...Tanaka....have it. One of them held Ace’s arms behind his back while the other prepared to deliver a strong kick to his exposed stomach. Even with the terrible phone quality, the ensuing  _ SMACK _ of the strike made Suga grimace.

Suga was so enthralled and tipsy, he thought his ears were playing tricks on him. On the screen, Ace was on the ground while the two twins were showboating and flexing, but he could still distinctly hear the  _ smack….smack….smap….tap tap tap… _

_ Maybe the audio is broken on a loop. _

_ Tap…..tap…...tap…… _

_ Wait. _

That _tapping_ sound wasn’t coming from the phone. Suga slowly looked up towards the window. 

Inches away behind the foggy glass of the window, Tanaka was standing there, an awkward grin on his face, gently tapping on the window. Behind him were what looked to be some of the other wrestlers from the night. All of them were looking intently at Suga….or looking at his phone, which was propped up at an angle so any passerby could easily see the video. And at that exact moment, the video zoomed in on a very unbecoming expression on the wrestler’s face during the recorded match.

______________

_ I’m going to get alcohol poisoning and die tonight. If I sober up and remember this I’m going to die wither away on the spot.  _

Suga took a deep gulp of his third Peach Crush; willing the alcohol to work faster, and trying not to register the entire troupe of wrestlers now sitting all around him. 

It had been an awkward minute of several of them laughing outside before entering the pub. Tanaka was the only one that hadn’t laughed, and instead invited Suga to join them; introducing him as his “guardian angel.” Once the other wrestlers realized Suga was the one that had caught Tanaka, they ordered another round and toasted Suga.

They had given Suga a quick round of introductions and now the table was abuzz with several mini-conversations popping up. Suga was very content to stay quiet, so he wouldn’t embarrass himself again for the night. Suguru and Koji were joking around with Bokuto and Yachi in one corner, while Hinata and the twins had started a mini-argument about some type of submission hold. Tanaka had slipped away to get more drinks for the table.

“What’s that one?” Hinata asked, poking Suga gently on his side, and gesturing towards his beverage.

“‘S Peach Crunch-crush? Peach Crush,” Suga slurred matter-of-factly pushing the glass at him. “Wan’na taste?”

“Don’t give him too much, he’s a lightweight,” Atsumu chided, his arm draped lazily over Hinata’s shoulder. 

Hinata shook his head and took a small sip, smacking his lips appreciatively. “Oh it’s good! I wanna get one! Buy me one babe!” he said as he reached up to ruffle Atsumu’s blonde hair affectionately.

“I’ll buy you ONE.”

“Two!”

“One.”

“TWO!”

“Ok ok, two.”

Hinata smiled and planted a kiss on the taller man’s cheek, who blushed, and quickly reciprocated. 

Suga watched absent-mindedly as the two began kissing fiercely, his Peach Crush still firmly clasped in Hinata’s hand. 

_ The gays just stole my drink. _

“Here, I got ya a refill.”

Tanaka had returned with a tray of drinks for the table, offering Suga another chilled glass. Suga took it nodding gratefully, and splashing a bit onto his work pants.

_ Oh fuck. Oh well. _

“You...doing ok there?” Tanaka asked as he passed out the rest of the drinks and pushing a napkin to Suga. “Sorry if this is awkward I didn’t meant to put ya on the spot-”

“Naw naw, ‘s all good! I ‘ppreciate it!” Suga said as he took a sip of his new beverage, and proceeded to choke when he swallowed wrong. 

_ Nailed it _

Tanaka chuckled at this and patted him firmly on the back which sent a tingle of electricity up Suga’s spine. Tanaka thankfully didn’t notice, as he took a deep draught of his own mug of beer, exhaling loudly in appreciation.

Suga pointed haphazardly at the wrestler’s glass “How...do ya do that?” 

Tanaka looked at him in mild confusion. “Oh, uh I do a lot of...training and classes?”

_ What does class have to do with beer? _

“-we spar and have practice matches before any live audience n stuff-”

Suga shook his head. “No-no how do you….drink beer without gagging? Taste’s...icky.”

Tanaka stopped, mouth slightly open, a confused look on his face, before he broke into deep peals of laughter. “Man you’re a fun guy Suga!” he said as he smacked him on the back again.

Suga smiled drunkenly but bowed his head in quick apology. “Oh ye sorry, no no that sounds cool too I just….can’t deal with beer.” He gestured wildly at Tanaka. “Nooo don’t stop, tell me more!”

The next hour or so seemed to pass in a hazy blur of bliss. Suga was hardly even hearing any of the others at the table, he was content to merely nod, smile, and sip on the glasses that kept getting pushed his way.

Suga made a huge show of downing his entire glass before slamming it down on the counter. “Maaaan I should prob stop soon, think I hit my limit,” Suga said in a whisper that managed to drown out all the other conversations at the table.

Atsumu looked over in confusion. “...Dude you’ve been drinking water for the past 45 minutes.”

“......wha?”

Tanaka shrugged apologetically. “Sorry man, you just seemed you were close to blackout so I just ordered some water for you.”

“...you…. _ betrayed _ me????” Suga whispered in a scandalized tone. Bokuto and Atsumu snorted.

Suga stared intensely at Tanaka for several seconds, before his gaze fell to the half-full mug of beer sitting unprotected.

As if reading his mind, Tanaka started to raise his arms to protect his glass. “Dude don’t-”

_ REVENGE. _

Suga snatched the mug away from Tanaka with lightning reflexes.

“You don’t have to drink that.” Tanaka said trying to reason with him, like trying to talk a cat down from a tree.

Suga shook his head vehemently. “I HAVE to now, m’ honors on th’ line!” He fiddled with his pocket for a second before pulling out his credit card and pushing it into Tanaka’s hand.

“‘M drinkin dis, AND i'm buying you a new one an’ payin’ for all our drinks tonigh.”

“You don’t have to-”

“CHUG CHUG CHUG-” Bokuto and Hinata began chanting, and quickly the rest of the table joined in, beating the table in rhythm.

“CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-”

Suga bowed his head jokingly, and proceeded to down the vilest tasting concoction he had ever had in his entire life. The table whooped and cheered, Tanaka merely shook his head, but couldn’t hide a small smile.

Suga stared back, thankful that the alcohol could be an excuse for the hot flush that began to fill him from head to toe. 

_ What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I trying so hard to...impress him? _

To his credit, Suga didn’t cough or gag on the bitter brew, but his eyes may have begun to water from it. He daintily placed the mug back down, willing his hand to not shake. He addressed the table, forcing his words to come clearly and professionally. “Feel free to get whatever you would like, and thank you for having me.”

The table cheered again, several of the wrestlers clappin him on the back. He looked at Tanaka, and merely shrugged. Tanaka’s mouth was opening and closing, but no sounds were coming.

_ Huh….that’s weird _ Suga thought to himself. And was it just him, or was the room getting darker and quieter?

_ Oh…..oh I’m about to black out. _

The room began to spin, as the remaining colors and sounds of the room began warping down into a single pinpoint, a wave of blissful unconsciousness rushing to greet him.

_ Shit. _


	6. Simple Truth

Tanaka had developed a sharp eye when it came to people’s alcohol tolerance. Maybe it was the years of crazy partying he had gone through back in the day; slowly picking up tells and cues for when people were approaching the brink of no return. Of course he still rarely ever hesitated to rise to any drinking challenge. But not tonight; he had spotted Suga’s impending crash a mile away.

Seeing the silver headed man, head lilting to the side as if in a stupor, sifting through the garbage at the arena, he had already been able to tell that the businessman had pre-gamed before the match. He had that disarming cheeriness that exuded that perfect sweet spot that a slight buzz would give you.

So when he noticed Suga alone slouched by the window of the troupe's favorite post-match bar, watching what appeared to be a video of one of his first matches, he felt two things. 

First, he felt flattered, and a little embarrassed as Suga had looked up and realized what was happening. He rarely ever rewatched his own matches either, the second-hand embarrassment was too much for him. It didn’t help that Atsumu and Bokuto had also noticed the video content on Sugas phone, and were failing to repress the peals of laughter bubbling up in their guts.

And second, put simply, he didn’t want this man to get to a dangerous level on his own.

He truthfully hadn’t expected to see Suga ever again; so many people he had met or signed autographs for in the past always seemed to say the same thing. “ _I’ll see you at your next match!”_ And then he had never heard from them again. Which was fine of course. It hurt a little, but there were always other fans to take their place thankfully.

So he didn’t hesitate to invite Suga to join the group; an invitation that the bedraggled businessman took, while apologizing and blushing a bright red. Despite the awkwardness, Suga warmed up a bit once the rest of the troupe began praising his catch of Tanaka.

True to his prediction, Suga had begun downing drinks at an alarming rate, possibly to numb any anxious or embarrassed feelings over the current situation, or simply to become more amenable and fun to be around. Quietly, Tanaka slipped away and asked the server to change Suga’s orders to water. 

Despite the drunken stupor, Suga had honestly fit right into their little group. Even close to a blackout, he was charming, funny, and engaging; or as well as one can be when absolutely sloshed. He was definitely new to pro wrestling, as he was inquisitive and receptive to what Tanaka and the others told him about it, although most of it seemed to fly right over his head.

But eventually, that moment Tanaka had predicted hit; a few moments after Suga had robbed Tanaka of his beer, tossed his credit card at him, and downed the beverage in a single go.

“Suga, I think you’re getting a little too drunk now. Can you hear me?”

“Immmjdjij ccan yjkjk” Suga muttered to himself, staring wildly around the room, bobbing his head in time to the bar music. He was OUT of it.

Tanaka groaned, and reached out a hand to steady him. “Y’all didn’t need to make him chug that,” he chided, glaring at the group.

Bokuto laughed and shrugged. “We didn’t do anything! If anything, he was trying to impress you! C’moooon, that was entertaining.”

“What? No he wasn’t-” Tanaka spluttered, his stomach flip-flopping uncomfortably.

Koji reached over and poked Tanaka in the shoulder. “Dude he was LITERALLY looking up videos of you. What’d you go by back then, the Masked Avenger or some lame shit like that?”

“-and he kept staring at you all night-” Hinata chimed in, his eyes crossed haphazardly.

“-you invited him to join us and he INSTANTLY accepted, c’mon now man.”

Tanaka waved his hands in mock surrender. “Ok ok, message received.” In times like these, arguing would only make the other wrestlers double down in their faux-torment.

Suga was oblivious to being the hot button topic currently. He was busy nodding along to an unknown song, eyes fully glazed over and blissfully unaware as he snapped his fingers in a failed attempt at rhythm.

.

“Oof, he’s gonna be a handful,” Atsumu commented, eyeing him warily as if he was about to make a break for it. “Can we call him a cab?”

Tanaka sighed. “Probably not, they’re super picky around this neighborhood about not being too drunk. And he may be way too far for a taxi to make sense.” He bent down to where he was eye-level with Suga. “Hey, Suga? Hey buddy we wanna try and get ya home. What’s your address?”

Suga seemed to briefly register Tanaka's face, and he winked. “Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm bop bop bop to th etopop op heeeeyyyyy.”

Bokuto patted Suga on the head affectionately. “Yea...we ain’t getting an address out of this one. And I don’t think it’s a good idea going through his wallet/phone.”

Tanaka shrugged. “Eh, my place is only a couple blocks from here, if one of you can help me carry him, I’ll put him in my bed and just crash on the couch. Taketora shouldn’t mind.”

“Yeah where the hell was 'Tora tonight?” Suguru piped up, squinting accusingly at Tanaka as the group rose to leave.

“Who, Taketora? It was his anniversary with Kenma tonight.” Tanaka answered, stumbling just a bit as he stood up; his legs still a bit unsteady from the booze, and sore from the match.

Koji shuffled over and smacked Suguru playfully in the back of the head. “Dude he told us all like ten times.”

Suguru pouted, rubbing his head in annoyance. “I got kicked in the head by Atsumu tonight, be nice to meeeeee.”

Atsumu took this opportunity to lean in and bop Suguru on the nose with his pointer finger. “And I’ll do it again!”

“I can help you with him,” Bokuto offered, as Suguru and Atsumu devolved into more drunken bickering. “I’m heading over to Akaashi’s tonight, and it’s on the way.”

Tanaka nodded appreciatively. “Thanks dude.” he leaned over to Suga. “Heyyy guardian angel, we’re gonna let you go take a nap, ok? But we gotta walk a little bit, can you do that?”

“Wwwwwwwrestlin.”

“Very that.”

_____________

There was a quick flurry of goodbyes as the rest of the group separated and wandered off into the night, leaving Bokuto and Tanaka with a very drunk Suga draped over their shoulders as they slowly trudged up the street.

“He can’t hold his alcohol, but your #1 fan’s a pretty funny guy,” Bokuto quipped, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Tanaka.

Tanaka grinned and shook his head, “Y’all are gonna be the death of me I swear. Anytime someone so much as looks at me for more than .5 seconds the whole league tries to play matchmaker.”

Bokuto huffed and wrinkled his nose. “We just care about our bro finding someone as equally cool and handsome and ripped and neat and cool-”

“-you already said cool.”

Bokuto paused in confusion before glaring back at Tanaka. “Cuz you're **double** cool, got it? And we’re not ALL trying to set you up with people-”

With his free hand, Tanaka started counting off his finger, interrupting the taller man. “Hinata introduced me to Aone last year at a mixer, the twins set me up on a blind date with their friend Aran, then you and Akashi introduced me to my bosses **best** friend-”

“-Ok, how was I supposed to know you worked for Kenma at the time? We just thought you and Kuroo would have good chemistry together.”

“...I mean you weren’t wrong about ‘chemistry,’ but...” Tanaka trailed off mid-thought, realizing that the 5-8 glasses of beer had successfully loosened his tongue. Bokuto’s head whipped around at light speed, eyes bright with glee. 

“So you DID hook up! I knew it!” he whooped, echoing down the quiet street. Suga raised a finger and wagged it dramatically as if he was in on the gossip as well.

“Shhhhh! Jesus Bokuto, it’s late-”

“ADMIT IT!”

“...It was just a one-night stand-”

Bokuto punched Tanaka jovially in the arm and winked. “-I mean, so were we! HA!”

Bokuto continued trying to pester details out of Tanaka as they arrived at his apartment building. As Tanaka paused to type in the passcode, Suga began to slouch towards the ground; Bokuto caught him, and simply lifted him up into a fireman’s carry across his broad shoulders.

“Thanks Dynamo. Just don’t abruptly get back into wrestling character please,” Tanaka cautioned as the door swung open.

“That was ONE time,” Bokuto grumbled to himself, stooping to fit him and his inebriated compatriot through the door frame. “You get buzzed at ONE mixer and never hear the end of it…”

“-you put Atsumu through my new couch, bud.”

“He said my suplexes were shaky! I was SIMPLY proving him incorrect.”

The apartment was dark as they stepped inside. Tanaka briefly fumbled for the light switch, praying Taketora had paid it this morning. A moment later, the fluorescent bulbs began to flicker, casting a pale sickly light on the three men. Tanaka breathed a sigh of relief. _At least we’ve got power._

Bokuto gently lowered Suga from his shoulders to his arms, cradling him bridal style. The fluorescents made Suga’s face seem extra pale, a small dark mole near his left eye drawing contrast and focus. Tanaka hadn’t even noticed it until now. He really had an attractive face, full cheeks tapering into a sharp chin giving off a subtle impression of a heart.

Bokuto looked around the cluttered room; “Where’s Taketora? I thought he was bringing Kenma back here after their date.”

Tanaka scratched his head and took a look around as well; normally Taketora would be barreling through his bedroom door to see who was there, but there hadn’t been any sign of movement besides them in the apartment. 

He surveyed the room, a small knot forming in his stomach; a chaotic mismatch of couches, chairs, and tables covered with wrestling paraphernalia, bills, food wrappers, and more scattered throughout the room. His mornings were always chaotic, and by the end of the day, he was usually too tired to ever pause and notice how out of hand things had gotten until now. _Wish Bokuto wasn’t here to witness this,_ he thought miserably to himself. If Bokuto was bothered at the mess, he didn’t show it, merely cocking his head left and right expectantly, as if waiting for Taketora to emerge from a basket of unfolded laundry.

Tanaka spied a piece of paper stuck to the fridge. He crossed the room and pulled it off the side:

_Yo dude, sorry I forgot about the bill, paid it this morning. Gonna be crashing at Kenma’s tonight, can’t wait to hear about your title match! - Tora_

“Looks like he’s at Kenma’s for tonight.”

Bokuto nodded understandingly. “Probably a better ambience for an anniversary.”

“Oi! It’s not that bad,” Tanaka said, turning to confront Bokuto, but slipping on a pile of magazines, barely keeping his balance. He regained his posture, cheeks crimson and his eyes darted to Bokuto.

He smirked ever so slightly. “You were saying?”

Tanaka grunted and marched over to his bedroom door. “Lets just put him on my bed, I’ll sleep on the couch. Don’t want Taketora to freak out over seeing a stranger in our living room tomorrow.”

Bokuto sidled past to plop Suga onto the bed before backing up. Thankfully, Tanaka had just washed his sheets yesterday, so it gave a slighter cleaner impression as he pulled the dark blue comforter over Suga, who was now creating a series of surprisingly loud tongue-pops.

“Can you hear me dude?”

Suga cracked one glazed eye open to stare blearily at Tanaka.“Eyyyyyy its Taaaaanaka, whats gooood himbo?”

“Wow first name basis even while hammered,” Bokuto whistled in mild appreciation, as he sidled back into the room with a glass of water and a bucket. In one smooth motion, he set the glass on the nightstand, and plopped the bucket parallel to Suga’s head on the floor. Tanaka felt other guilty twinge that Bokuto seemed to be _awfully_ familiar with where all the amenities for a drunk night were located.

Unperturbed, Bokuto made a final adjustment to the bucket before standing up and stretching. “He seems out of it but nothing dangerous. Make him drink a little water before he fully passes out, but he should be fine-probably just a little too much/too fast.” He jerked his thumb at the door. “I’mma head out now, don’t wanna worry Akaashi for being late.”

Tanaka smiled and nodded understandingly. “Thanks man, appreciate the help. Give Akaashi my love.”

Bokuto nodded, and reached in for a quick hug that Tanaka happily reciprocated. Bokuto was a **great** hugger, after all. “Text me tomorrow so I know everything’s chill. Let’s hang out again soon!”

And with that, Bokuto was gone, leaving Tanaka alone with an inebriated businessman in his bed.

_Honestly, not the craziest night I’ve ever had,_ he mused to himself, as he sauntered back to the bedroom to check on his 'guest.' 

Suga hadn’t moved from where Bokuto had placed him, but his eyes were both wide open; he looked around the room with a sense of unbridled wonder, as if he’d never seen a room before.

“‘Soooorry Tank, still a bit tip...sy yeha?”

Tanaka chuckled at his new nickname, and picked up the glass of water, offering it to Suga. “‘S all good man, want a sip before you pass out?”

Suga’s eyes narrowed suspiciously at the innocent looking glass, but slowly reached out to accept it. “Prolly shouldn’ drink anymore ya know,” he mumbled to himself. 

“It’s just water man, no worries.”

Suga pondered this, and then pointed directly at Tanaka's face. "Lemmmme rub ur head."

"Uh...what?"

Suga nodded matter-of-factly. "So iss NOT water. Trynna trick me!"

Tanaka shook his head. "No it IS water dude what are you-"

"If 's water then lemme rub!" Suga announced, eyes unfocused yet determined.

The two of them stared at one another; an impasse. Well, Suga was doing his best to stare intently at Tanaka, but his left eye kept trailing off to scope out the ceiling.

_Ok....definitely weirder than normal, but still not THAT crazy of a request,_ Tanaka thought, relenting.

"Ok fine, if it'll get you to drink water, give it a rub." Tanaka leaned forward, bowing his head a fraction, bracing for a drunk uncoordinated swat.

Instead, he felt a soft deliberate weight settle on the crown of his head. He hadn't expected this level of care. Suga's fingers softly traversed back and forth, intimately tracing patterns in the rough bristles of his hair.

"Knew it! 's niiiice and soft," Suga murmured happily to himself.

Despite the warmth of Suga's hand, Tanaka felt goosebumps spreading along the back of his neck, and he couldn't stop an uncontrollable full-body shiver at the touch.

As abruptly as it started, it was gone; Suga withdrew his hand, nodded satisfactorily, and tipped the contents of the cup into his mouth. His throat painfully contracted as he swallowed a few massive mouthfuls of water. Tanaka gulped as well, trying to play off the intimate moment that had just occurred.

For someone on the cusp of blackout, Suga only managed to only spill a little as he resurfaced for air, and pushed the cup back to Tanaka. “That water's got a kick to it! How u?”

Tanaka quickly took the glass and set it back down on the nightstand. “Doin great man. You need anything else? Imma just be out in the living room. Just call if you need anything.”

Suga shook his head, his face relaxed. “You’re waaaay too cool man,” he muttered as he laid his head back down on the pillow.

Tanaka just smiled dumbly, happy for the distraction. Drunk conversations were always more interesting. “Oh? How so?” he asked with mock curiosity.

Suga paused for a moment; it looked like he was actively willing the gears in his head to start running again, even if for just a second. “I dunno…you’re doin’ what you li-love...” He paused again to yawn, exhaustion weighing heavy on his tone. “-saw it on ur face, in th thing. The thing-arena.”

“You mean the wrestling ring?”

Suga nodded slowly. “Ring? Ring. Yeah... ‘m jealous.”

Tanaka smiled and shook his head. “I’m flattered bud, but you’re just drunk.”

Suga shook his head weakly. He was fading fast, but struggling to get his words out. “I mmm-mean it….you-you’ve got your life together man...doing something with your life. Wish….thhat was….me…..”

Tanaka sat frozen in place at the foot of the bed. Deep snores were emanating from the bed now, but he could hardly hear it over his beating heart. Why did he feel like this? He didn’t even know this man who clearly had job security, stability, a future. How could someone with all that be jealous of….him?

Abruptly, Tanaka realized he had been holding his breath, his chest tense with the unconscious effort. He willed himself to relax and took a deep gulp of air to steady himself. He slowly rose to his feet, and walked to the door, hitting the light switch on his way. He turned back to stare at Suga once more, still peacefully snoring away, before gently closing the door behind him.

_“Jealous of you….got your life together...way too cool…”_

Those simple words flitted around Tanaka like tiny crows, leaving a shiny gift in tow; a spark of validation, hot and bright in the pit of his stomach.

_Why does it matter? He’s just drunk, he didn’t know what he was saying….why do I feel like this?_

It’s one thing to be praised from someone within your area of work or expertise. Takeda always hyped up all the wrestlers before a big match, but that was part of his job. His friends and coworkers all talked him up and complimented his athletic ability and passion. But it felt strange coming from an outside source.

He wearily hit the light, and tugged off his coat and shirt, before flopping onto the couch with the least amount of rubbish, he hissed at the frigid faux leather against his bare skin, and fumbled in the dark for the throw blanket they kept on the top of the couch, pulling the soft wool over himself. He closed his eyes and exhaled, his thoughts a jumbled mess of drunk confusion. 

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the headrub out of nowhere, but the way Suga had muttered those phrases had felt so genuine. Removed from the arena, the spectacle, the lights and showboating, this man could still see the honest intent Tanaka harbored for wrestling; a simple but passionate love for it. A chance to be crazy with direction; athletic but aware. It was a performance that Tanka could excel at and feel validated.

_It’s nice….._ He thought to himself as he began drifting off to his sleep. _It’s nice to just be….appreciated._

\---------------

That night, Tanaka dreams of his parents. It had been so long since he had seen them face-to-face.

He is alone. His parents mere inches from him. But he is alone.

His fathers piercing onyx eyes, a mirror of his own. Thin lips curled back in a snarl of disgust. A heavy hand descending towards his face. 

A sharp bloom of pain. A muddying burst of crimson that stains everything it touches.

Tears and blood. Both forming in the corners of his eyes; vision blurring and stretching as an unintelligible roar accosts his hearing from all sides.

Through the blur and haze, he sees his mother, her face crystallizing in intimate detail.

Soft sky blue eyes. Looking down, never meeting his own.

Everything about her is soft; her demeanor, her gaze, her disappointment; all bubbling, festering, growing just beneath the surface.

A trickling stream, slowly wearing down a mountain.

Drip by drip.

It hurts more than a fist.


	7. A Little Bit Awkward

Without opening his eyes, Suga could already tell that this was most definitely not his bed. Part of him immediately wanted to fall back asleep, and let the impertinent throbbing in the back of his head fade away. But if this wasn’t his bed, he was intruding on someone else. 

He tried to drum up a memory of last night. There had been a wrestling match with Daichi and Asahi...and then he was at a bar maybe? The wrestler he caught….Tanaka right? He was there-maybe. Beyond that, nothing. No memories of how he got from a bar downtown to a strangers bedroom.

Slowly, against his sleepier judgement, he opened his eyes.

The dull throbbing in the back of his head immediately graduated to a sharp ache as a beam of light from the half-closed curtains shone straight into his face, causing him to let out a pitious groan. Slowly, painstakingly, he raised his head, propping himself up with his elbow, and cupping his head to block the unwelcome rays. He stared blankly around the cluttered bedroom.

It felt like the antithesis of his own minimalist bedroom, there was activity happening in every corner of the room. A collection of music and wrestling posters had been tacked haphazardly to one of the walls. From anime, to New Age, to something called "Murder for the Title," the papers spilled over one another, in a sea of faded paper.

On a nearby shelf there was a haphazard collection of books and comics stacked precariously close to the edge. There were clothes scattered across the floor, both clean and dirty. A dusty television set sat opposite Suga, with a jumbled tangle of game controllers, DVD cases, and cables.

It looked like a tornado had flown through the room, and yet it still looked quite clean, all things considered. There was something quite cozy feeling about it; it felt….welcoming. Or lived in. Whatever it was, it was something Suga’s was definitely lacking.

_ Maybe I need to buy some posters. Or get a hobby. Maybe a rug. Is a rug too much? Maybe it’ll clash with my floor-what am I saying, rugs come in different colors. My god I’m out of it. How much did I drink??? _

  
  


Suga shuffled to resituate himself, realizing to his chagrin that he was still wearing his full 3-piece suit, tie and all. He groaned again in exasperation, this was going to need a trip to the dry cleaners for sure. He raised his arm to loosen his tie, as he continued to survey the room. 

The closet door was half-open; multi-colored hangers spilling out from it, some hanging off the slots in the wooden frame. On them was an eclectic mixture of brightly colored hoodies and vests, and emblazoned shorts and tights in every conceivable color of the rainbow. Suga froze as his gaze fell on a bright silver pair of shorts, and two identically colored boots in the corner.

_ Oh no. Don’t tell me I ended up coming home with- _

**_Knock-knock_ **

Suga jerked his head up, staring at the closed door.  _ Please tell me I’m not literally passed out in the bedroom of the guy I caught last night. I already made a fool of myself oh God please- _

“‘Ey Suga? You good?”

Later Suga would look back on his emotions at this moment and bluntly describe it as ‘his stomach getting squished by a trash compactor.’

“Heard ya groan, so I figured you were up,” Tanaka’s voice came through the door. “I’m makin’ coffee, you want some?”

Suga swallowed, suddenly painfully aware at how dry and parched his throat was. He glanced around, noticing a glass of water on the nightstand.  _ I was a mess last night, I just know it,  _ he thought miserably to himself as he quickly downed the full glass.

“....is that a no?”

Suga coughed, as he swallowed the last gulp of water. “Oh yeah, sorry, thank you! Coffee...yeah that’d be great.” he said weakly to the door.

“Cool, cool. Cream or sugar?”

“Only when I haven’t been naught.....so not today, no.” 

Suga started at his own words leaving his mouth, aghast, realizing what he had just said. 

_ WHY AM I LIKE THIS??? _

There was a soft chuckle from behind the door. “Gotcha. Be right back.”

He listened to the padding of Tanaka’s footsteps as they moved away towards what he imagined would be the kitchen. He groaned, dragging his hands through his disheveled hair, massaging his forehead with his fingers.

_ This is why you don’t go out, you can’t control yourself, you go overboard and you act the fool. _

Suga sat there mentally berating himself, head in hands, gazing around the room with a sense of nervous anticipation until a soft rapping at the door brought him out of his head.

Tanaka slowly pushed the door open, balancing two mugs of steaming coffee, and a fresh glass of water against his bare chest. He shot a crooked grin at Suga before resituating the cups and extending one of the mugs to him. “Rise ‘n shine, Guardian Angel.”

Suga couldn’t help but notice the solid muscle along the breadth of Tanaka’s outstretched arm as he received the cup from him. The morning light danced off his shoulder blades and chest, casting a deep golden glow on the grapplers body. Suga blinked and realized he had been staring just a little too intently. He shook his head violently and whined. “Please don’t call me that...and  **_please_ ** tell me I didn’t throw up on you or anything equally embarrassing/stupid.”

Tanaka shook his head cheerfully, as he sat himself down at the edge of the bed, and placed the water glass down on the nightstand next to the recently consumed glass. He took a dainty sip before answering. “Naw, you were fine. Honestly you were probably a better conversationalist than most of the guys.”

“...those guys?" Suga repeated, a feeling of dread looming before him. "Did...I meet other people last night?”

Suga cocked his head sympathetically. “Ooooh you **WERE** out of it, huh? Yeah, you joined me and the wrestling troupe for drinks.”

_ Oh God please just kill me now. _

“Terrific,” Suga mumbled sarcastically. “I got to make a fool of myself to a cornucopia of people. Go me!”

Tanaka stared at him for a moment, a very neutral expression playing on his face, before abruptly leaning towards Suga. Before Suga could react, he had curled two of his fingers at the knuckle, and gently rapped the front of Suga’s head, emphasizing his words with each knock.

“You * _ bonk _ * were * _ bonk _ * fine * _ bonk _ *. Calm * _ bonk _ * down * _ bonk _ *.”

Suga recoiled slightly in mild shock, and rubbed his head, not sure how to respond. Tanaka continued talking, albeit without further attacks to the businessman’s forehead.

“Trust me dude, I’ve been out of control before, and you were nowhere close to being a handful. You were joking around with us, polite as can be, and you even tried to pay for everyone’s drinks with your credit card, which we did **NOT** allow. I’m pretty sure half of the team would take a bullet for you at this point...me included.”

Suga nodded feeling a small breath of relief escape his lungs. His shoulders sagged a bit, as a minute bit of tension left his body. “Ok ok, sorry. Just wanted to make sure...because I don’t remember ANYTHING beyond sitting down at the bar and doing something on my phone…..”

The wrestler quickly averted his gaze and rubbed his head, looking slightly embarrassed. “Oh yeah...no, I dunno what you were doing on it, you were fine.”

Suga couldn't help but feel a little suspicious of this behavior, but decided not to push it; if this man wanted to lie to him to help him save face, he’d allow it. He finally took a sip from his own mug. He recoiled and stared into the cup.

“Hey! There’s cream and sugar in here!”

Tanaka nodded. “Yeah you said you only got it when you weren’t bad.” He shrugged. “So I added some. Is it too much?”

Suga sputtered, caught off-guard by the frank nature in which Tanaka spoke, hiding his face behind the mug. “No, it’s….perfect. Thanks.”

_ Oh he’s smooth. _

The two of them lapsed into silence as they sipped from their cups. The caffeine slowly began to add a little more focus to Suga’s clouded head. For accidentally getting blackout drunk and waking up in a stranger's bed….this was actually pretty nice.

He couldn’t help but notice the change in demeanor in the wrestler from the night before. In the ring, he was chaotic; he demanded attention and had such a charisma to him. Seeing him sitting cross-legged, blowing the steam off the top of his drink, as calm and comfortable as can be…. _ is this really the same guy I met last night? _

They finished their coffee within moments of one another, and Tanaka simply reached out a hand expectantly to take Suga’s cup. Suga nodded appreciatively and handed it over to him. Tanaka rose, and turned to leave the room-

“Oh my GOD!”

Tanaka spun around, his eyes widened in surprise. “Wha-what’s wrong?”

Suga stared at him in disbelief. He pointed straight at the wrestler. “Do you not feel that?” He asked weakly.

The grappler’s eyes darted back and forth in confusion. “....Feel what?”

“You’ve got like a huge wound on your back! Turn around again.”

Tanaka slowly turned and faced away from Suga. Just right of the crook of his neck, a large shiny red blister had made its home on the wrestler’s back.

“Is it...bad?”

Suga whistled. “Not gonna lie, it doesn’t look pretty. Like at **ALL**. But it shouldn’t be that bad, just needs some cleaning up. Do you have any disinfectant or bandages? Let me take a closer look.”

Tanaka nodded. “Yeah I got some in the bathroom. Lemme grab it real quick. He quickly ducked out of the room with the cups, craning his neck over his shoulder to try and catch a glimpse of the wound.

Moments later from the bathroom, Suga heard a yelp of surprise. “Holy shit you weren’t kidding!” Tanaka announced, sounding almost pleased at this discovery.

“I told you!” Suga called out, hopping to his feet. “Come back in here and lie down on the bed, I’ll clean it up.”

A few seconds later, Tanaka meekly shuffled back into the room and handed Suga a bag of supplies before he unceremoniously tossed himself onto the bed facedown.

“How did you not feel anything?” Suga asked, trying to keep his voice from sounding accusatory, while rummaging through the bag. There wasn’t a ton to work with, but thankfully there was a small bottle of rubbing alcohol, a rag, and some band-aids.

Tanaka shrugged, while resituating himself on the bed. “Comes with the territory I guess.”

It had been a while since he had cleaned a wound; not since high school on the volleyball team. But Suga still remembered the basics of what he needed. He pulled the rag from the bag and dunked it in the glass of water on the nightstand. After carefully wringing it out to make sure the excess wound up back in the cup, he leaned over, trying to get a good angle to wipe the wound clean. 

“Sorry, it’s just at a weird angle,” Suga said, craning his neck and leaning over the wrestler.

“You can just straddle me, if that makes it easier to reach. Like you’re about to put me in a Camel Clutch.”

Suga froze.  _ A Camel what? _

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “A what now?”

Tanaka chuckled apologetically as he rested his chin onto his folded arms. “Sorry sorry, I forgot you’re new to the whole wrestling thing. It’s just a move where you’d sit on my back. Then you’d lock my arms in the crook of your knee and pull back on my head.”

Suga stood there, wet towel in hand, trying to imagine what that would even look like. “Um… pick up the arms, put them in the...no wait….pull back? Where do I-”

“It’d kinda like that one yoga pose….the Cobra I think?" Tanaka shook his head. "Ah, my bad, forget the analogy, just sit on my back if you can reach it better that way.”

Suga tried in vain to reach the wound successfully without getting on top of him before admitting that Tanaka was right. Carefully, Suga clambered onto the bed, lowering himself down until he was seated on the small of the wrestler's back. He braced himself, so as not to put his full weight on the man under him. “Does that hurt?”

Tanaka hummed dismissively. “After that match with Devil, nothing really hurts, you’re good.”

Suga began meticulously wiping down the blister. The skin surrounding the wound was surprisingly smooth, exuding a soft heat through the tips of Suga’s fingers as he worked. He began to notice small scars dotting the taller man’s back, undoubtedly the result of other matches and training sessions. “You know, I thought it was all supposed to be fake,” Suga mused to himself.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Tanaka immediately tense up. “Wrestling’s not  _ fake, _ ” he said shortly, his frustration palpable.

Suga gulped, That wasn’t what he had meant by that.  _ Oh shit…..oh did I just call his career fake? I did, oh my god you idiot! _

“Sorry, sorry, poor choice of words,” Suga quickly interjected in an apologetic tone. “I meant how the punches and stuff aren’t supposed to be like ACTUAL punches and stuff. I know a lot of work goes into it. I was just….surprised you know, with a wound like this, since I thought-”

“-Ohhh! Gotcha you’re right, sorry I didn’t mean to snap,” Tanaka said, and Suga could see him visibly relax, his tone softening. “Typically yeah, there’s a lot of training and practice in making the attacks and stuff look as real as possible. Devil just doesn’t….really share that same idea, so he doesn’t pull many of his punches.”

Suga thought back to the night before, seeing Tanaka bent in half, the strikes to his chest. “So when he had you in that hold that looked like a pretzel twister-”

“-Abdominal Stretch.”

“Sure, that one...and he was like, smacking you in the chest...was he going full-throttle?”

Tanaka let out a dry laugh. “Pretty much. That hold usually doesn’t even hurt at all; it’s usually a placeholder move for both parties to catch their breath, and give the crowd some eye candy.”

Suga was glad Tanaka was facing away from him, as he wouldn’t be able to notice the scandalized expression on his face. “Wait, the move is supposed to be EYE CANDY?”

Tanaka’s buzzed head nodded up and down. “Haha, yeah a lot of those holds accentuate the babyface/jobbers plight. Either to show off their muscles, or their flexibility, and mostly just to make them look like they’re in more pain than they actually are.”

Suga hadn’t even thought about it, but it suddenly kind of made sense. The wrestlers had roles to play, and had to perform a certain way to sell the spectacle. He pressed on. “Jobbers? Babyfaces? I feel like I’m learning a new language.”

“It’s fine! Those are just common ways to describe the wrestler who takes most of the big hits and holds.”

Suga nodded, letting this new information sink in as he began applying the antiseptic. Tanaka didn’t say anything as he rubbed it on, but he did twitch in visible discomfort from the rubbing alcohol. Suga picked up the conversation to try and distract him. “Ok…..so you’re...a jobber then? Is that the word?”

“Eh, yes, and no. They have me as a switch right now.”

Suga thought for a moment, as he unwrapped a band-aid and carefully applied it. He looked down and nodded approvingly; the wound was all but covered up, and sterilized to perfection. “Allright, you’re all bandaged up....so I’m just going to assume that ‘switch’ means you can attack...and be attacked? Like both roles?”

“Oooh, you catch on fast! Perfect!” Tanaka flashed two thumbs up in approval from his prone position. 

Suga couldn’t help but smile warmly at the compliment, the fully honest and straightforward way in which Tanaka described things was so different from all the run-around he got at work. There was a lot more to this entertainment then he had realized, but Tanaka had an understandable and engaging way of explaining things; all in all, he seemed like a pretty cool guy.

“Well it helps that you make it interesting and easier to understand,” Suga responded. “There’s definitely a lot that I didn’t know about it, but it makes sense! But a lot of it still sounds kind of confusing, like the moves themselves. They’re all cool looking, but I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

There was a brief pause before Tanaka turned his head slightly to make eye contact with Suga. “You wanna learn how to do one?”

**_WHAT_ **

Suga coughed. “Sorry, what was that?”

Tanaka merely shrugged, not phased at all by Suga’s reaction. “Yeah, why not? It’s easier to walk you through a hold than to just describe it. Consider it a freebie lesson for saving my ass last night.”

Suga shook his head, his hair flopping into his face with each shake. “You already saved me by not letting me walk into traffic while I was drunk out of my mind! You don’t owe me anything.”

Tanaka cocked an eyebrow at him with a fake pained expression. “You really thought I woulda let you go off on your own in that state? Give me a LITTLE credit.”

“But I-”

“Here, I’ll teach you how to put me in the Camel Clutch, since we're already in position.”

Suga stared down at Tanaka, who still looked completely relaxed. He gazed back at Suga, patiently awaiting an answer.

_ This guy is way too chill for his own good. _

Suga sighed heavily, conceding. “Fine, I can’t argue with celebrities anyway.”

Tanaka rolled his eyes and choked back a laugh, but shot him another grin, before turning his head back, facing away from Suga. “Ok, first off, scoot back a little, and bring your knees in.”

Suga obeyed, trying not to think too hard about how odd this must look; a man in a full business suit crouched on top of a half-naked himbo like Gollum from Lord of the Rings.

Tanaka continued with his directions, oblivious to Suga’s embarrassment, with the patient cadence of an elementary school teacher. “Ok, now grab my left arm, and lift it up and pull it back. You’re gonna drape it over your thigh, and kinda lock it in place in the crook of your knee.”

Suga hesitantly reached down towards Tanaka’s arm. The wrestler looked fully relaxed and at ease, and still, his biceps and deltoids drew taut against his skin. This man was STRONG. Gently, he clasped the arm, feeling the rock hard definition as he slowly pulled it up. Even with Tanaka staying limp and not struggling, it was more of an ordeal than Suga had expected to simply raise the arm. After a short battle against gravity,, he eased the arm over his knee, where it lay pressed between over thigh.

Despite the trapped arm, Tanaka’s hand formed a thumbs up. “Perfect! Now just do the same with the other arm.”

Suga repeated the instruction, doing his best to not let on that he was almost out of breath from this.  _ This is a sign. I HAVE to start going to the gym again. _

The right arm fell into place, leaving both of the wrestler's arms firmly locked into place. Suga glanced down, and almost choked; the view was...breathtaking to put it mildly; the torque of both Tanaka’s arms pulled back had created a sea of fine divots and ridges of the different muscle groups across Tanaka’s exposed back. Suga’s thighs felt warm from the body heat Tanaka’s arms were generating. It was...a strange feeling being this close to someone and not being in the middle of.....other activities.

“Are you SURE this isn’t hurting like your blister or anything?” Suga asked, trying to simply sound inquisitive, even though he was screaming on the inside to remain calm.

“Nah, I didn’t feel it before, and it doesn’t hurt now, so we’re all good!” Tanaka said in a conversational tone that did NOT match up to the current situation he was in. “Ok, now just wrap your hands around my chin, and pull back and voila!”

Reluctantly, Suga reached forward, his fingers intertwining around Tanaka’s face. He felt his finger brush against the grapplers lip, and blushed a fiery red. Slowly, he pulled back, and Tanaka’s head and chest rose, until Tanaka’s upper body mirrored an obtuse angle, chest and stomach elevated off of the bed.

“Perfect!” Tanaka’s muffled voice slipped through Suga’s fingers, still as cheery as could be. “See, it doesn’t hurt too badly right now, but it  **looks** painful cuz it stretches my chest and stomach. Nice work!”

  
  


It was strange enough already for Suga, straddling and holding this man in a close-contact hold. But the way Tanaka was nonchalantly chatting about it, while also playing the victim of it felt like he was in a weird sitcom, or taking part in a strange play.

“-So then you could do a whole bunch of different things at this point. A choke, some strikes to the chest, eye gouging, fish hook, neck crank, or even letting a tag team partner get a good punch or kick in! And then all I could do is break free, or tap out.”

Suga shook his head bewildered. “I still can’t believe this doesn’t hurt.”

To further prove his point, Tanaka simply raised one of his arms a fraction, still secured over Suga’s inner thigh, and flexed like a bodybuilder; Suga could have sworn his bicep  **doubled** in size.

“Ok, ok, I take it back, I believe you,” he said with a weak laugh.  _ Oh my god...oh my god! _

Tanaka chuckled drily, his breath softly flowing over Suga’s fingers. “Hey I ‘ppreciate you wanting to make sure it's all good. It’s really just more of a flexibility thing, and I pride myself on being pretty flexible. The only time it hurt was once when my opponent kept me in it for like 5 minutes. Then shit started to hurt. And they were yanking on my hair the whole time; part of the reason I ended up getting a buzzcut..”

“Five minutes….holy shit,” Suga said in awe, absentmindedly releasing one of his hands from Tanaka’s chin, and brought it up to rub the grappler’s head. It was that perfect length of firm fuzzy hairs that sprang back into place, a uniform canvas of dark grey. “I mean don’t take it the wrong way,” Suga mused to himself matter-of-factly, “but I’d wanna personally thank those guys, it’s a good look on you.”

“Oh! Uh, thanks!”

_ …….Did I just say that out loud? Fuck. _

It’s a rare instance to both see and feel a blush. The dull red flush started on Tanaka’s exposed neck, and swiftly travelled up into his hairline, a volcano of emotion; a further burst of warmth hitting Suga’s hands. Quickly, Suga released his other hand from Tanaka’s chin, and pulled his arms out of their locked spot, rolling off the wrestlers back to free him from the hold to take a seat on the bed next to him. 

Suga looked over at him cautiously, trying to talk his way out of the awkwardness he’d just created. “Sorry-sorry that was a little-”

Tanaka propped his head up with one arm and turned to meet Suga’s gaze, still red in the face, but looking a bit bashful. “You really like it?” he asked with a lower tone. “The buzzcut?”

Suga was slightly taken aback at the hesitancy in Tanaka’s question. He suddenly seemed meek, or nervous about Suga’s answer. Suga shrugged, smiled, and answered honestly. “Hell yeah I do! It makes you look cool and tough. You’ve got the right head shape to pull it off. Honestly I can’t really imagine what you’d look like with hair.”

Tanaka looked genuinely pleased by this, and puffed out his chest a bit. “Yeah when I found those shorts that matched my hair that’s when I knew it was meant to be.”

“It’s a good look! “Suga agreed. “But you know...have you thought about adding a touch of blue to it?” He pointed at Tanaka’s face. “It would make your eyes pop more in the ring.”

Tanaka shook his head, scratching his ear with one finger. “Hadn’t really thought of that. Ya think so?”

“Oh yeah!” Suga exclaimed. “Even if it was just like a vest for your entrance, or a stripe somewhere on the shorts, just a little extra pop of color at the beginning, maybe a little eyeliner too, would add contrast for your eye color and lot to your stage presence-”

Suga faltered, as he noticed Tanaka gazing intently at him with the tiniest smile playing on his lips. Suga’s words quickly faded into silence; he had the habit of occasionally going on a verbal rampage with something that piques his interest. There had been multiple occasions in the past that Daichi or Asahi had needed to reel him back in.

He glanced away from Tanaka, focusing on the music posters adorning the wall. “What?” he snapped.

“You’re pretty smart Sugawara.”

Such a simple and direct statement. But it froze Suga in place. “N-no I just….I’ve done some research on color theory back in school...it’s nothing that-”

“-I mean it! You’re really smart! That’s cool.”

“.......Really?”

A sudden lilting electronic melody playing from Suga’s coat pocket, broke the tension. Desperately grateful for the distraction, Suga hauled his phone out and squinted at the screen.

**Ukai (Boss) is calling…**

Sugad’s headache suddenly reminded him of it’s existence and he groaned. The only time his boss ever called him was if there was a last minute problem that needed immediate work on. “I'm so sorry, it’s work....can I-?”

Tanaka simply nodded and hopped up from the bed. He quickly crossed the floor, snagging a tank top from the closet door on his way. He paused, and gestured with his thumb at the door. “I’ll just be out in the living room. Take all the time you need.” With a wink, he stepped through the door and closed it behind him.

Reluctantly, Suga hit the answer button and raised the phone to his ear. “Hey boss-”

“Oh thank god,” Ukai’s voice clipped through the phone sounding frantic. “No one else has picked up yet. I hate to do this to you on the weekend, but something’s come up at work and I need someone to come in. We can do overtime and everything, I just need someone to help with this proposal.”

Suga frowned. The proposal’s he had seen in the pipeline had all looked sound on Friday. “No problem sir, I’ll start heading in now.”

He heard Ukai breathe a deep sigh of relief on the other end. “Hate to do it to you, but the firm really appreciates you helping out. No need for business attire or anything. See you in a bit.”

The phone went dead in Suga’s hand. He looked down with a realization of horror; he was wearing what he wore to the office yesterday...and he really didn’t need his boss drawing strange conclusions.

_ Can I hit up a store on the way there? Or maybe a boutique for a new set? No, there’s no time for that dammit! _

He raised his head, and found himself staring at Tanaka’s closet door; the myriad of technicolor clothes spilling out from it. 

_ Oh…..that’s an idea. Not a great idea, but the only one we've got right now. _

“Uhhhhhh…….Tanaka? Can I ask a somewhat strange favor of you?” Suga called out, now eyeing the closet apprehensively, as if it might suddenly rear back and leap at him, hangers and all.

The door popped open, and Tanaka stuck his head in. “Shoot.”

Suga gestured helplessly at his business suit, which now looked like it could give a nursing home a run for its money in terms of wrinkles. “The boss needs me to go into the office today last minute and to dress down. “I know it’s weird but I’m in a jam….so-”

Tanaka sauntered in and leaned against the door. “-Absolutely, but I have one question. Do I at least get to help put together the outfit?” Tanaka asked, folding his arms expectantly.

Suga eyed the other man warily. “I need ‘dressed down,’ not ‘defend my shot at the heavyweight title.’ If you can do that for me...then yes please.”

Tanaka cracked his knuckles, a sinister glint in his eyes. “Say no more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken a bit longer to update with this chapter! New training going on at work that's kept me pretty busy. But I'm pretty happy with this next chapter! Hope you all enjoy!


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